Dialogue in and between Different Cultures - International ...

76 Natàlia Izard & Clara-Ubaldina Lorda
French citizens and foreign residents, rich and poor. The journalist evaluates the
demonstration with the moderation that we already saw in DP: semble moins
importante qu’il y a une semaine; ballon d’essai avant la journée de mobilisation
d’après-demain (“it looks less important than a week ago; trial balloon before the
coming demonstration in two days”).
The third sequence – the acts of violence – relates and evaluates the outbursts.
These, as well as their actors, are still regarded as small in number – 200 à 300
casseurs (“200 to 300 rioters”) –, even if the description of the facts and the terms
used already show that the upheaval becomes important. The footage of the riots
is also described with a voice over: ont harcelé les policiers et incendié un
kiosque à journaux (“they have harassed the police officers and set a news stand
on fire”), and the images show just that. The designation of the two sides goes up
a notch: casseurs, assaillants, manifestants vs CNRS, forces de l’ordre, policiers,
“rioters, attackers, demonstrators vs. CNRS – the Police Corps – law and order,
police officers”, while the described actions show the increasing violence:
bouteilles et galets pleuvent sur les forces de l’ordre; cocktails Molotov sont
préparés, puis lancés, un kiosque à journaux est incendié vs. CNRS chargent, 150
personnes sont interpellée, certaines sans ménagements. Policiers et manifestants
blessés (“bottles and stones are raining down on the law enforcers; Molotov
cocktails are prepared and then thrown, a newsstand has been set on fire” vs.
“CNRS charge, 150 people have been arrested”) – this is said over the image of a
police officer kicking a fallen demonstrator –, …certaines sans ménagements.
Policiers et manifestants blessés, (“some of it with very little care. Police officers
and demonstrators have been injured”). The critical testimony of a police officer –
he uses the words déplorable, lamentable, branleurs, perturbe (“pitiful, regretable,
jerks, insane”). The sequence finishes with a dialogue between DP and a
journalist who is at the Sorbonne, reporting about the clashing which is still going
on.
Once the journalist has been dismissed by DP, a fourth sequence starts: the
account of demonstrations in other cities in France, with a special attention to the
cities of Rennes and Lyon. The camera keeps alternating between the set and the
cities – the suburbs – where footage combines with eye-witness accounts. Next to
a map of France in white on blue, names of French cities parade, with a voice
listing the figures of demonstrators in each one. The regional news follow, and the
events in Montpellier and Lille, following the same pattern of images and facts,
testimonies, descriptions and commentaries, are presented.
One can see that the seriousness of the facts is progressively stated by the
news people. The procrastinated commentaries from the first part of the news are
followed by expressions which show the worsening of the situation. DP evaluates
the demonstrations which are going on at that same moment, in Saint-Denis on
the Isle of Réunion, and goes back to his report at the beginning of the news by
stating that le mouvement de grève s’est amplifié; 60 universités sont, soit
bloquées soit perturbées, avec des débats très vifs à Toulouse (“the strikes have