Hordes of bikers on the sidelines, sparkling in the sun, horn concerts, "Halt racket" banners hung on trucks equipped with sound systems, dance floor atmosphere. This Saturday, at 3 pm sharp, the bikers - 5% women, 95% men - roared their engines and their indignation ...
Several hundred two-wheeled vehicles set off, at the call of the essential French Federation of Angry Bikers (FFMC), from the Cours de Vincennes at the level of the rue des Pyrénées (12th).
The procession, authorized by the Prefecture, was surrounded by police bikers, blue beacon, and closed by the security service of the FFMC, bikers in orange chasubles. It was to end at the end of the day in front of the Eiffel Tower, at the Pont d'Iéna (7th).
"We are an alternative to the congestion of cities"
"We do not want the town hall project to make paid parking for two-wheelers," insists Thomas, in his fifties, shirtless under his Perfecto, his forearms tattooed. It's nonsense and it's unfair! ”
On the edge of the Cours de Vincennes, the imposing gleaming and noisy procession does not go unnoticed. "They must be vintage motorcycles," believes Valérie. The mother returns from the market, her shopping bag from which salads protrude. "Not at all," replies another onlooker. These are the angry bikers. They are there all the time! ”
"Have you seen the Harley?" Says a teenager to his girlfriend who brandishes, impressed, his smartphone to immortalize the parade. If the youngest succumb to beautiful mechanics, many passersby commenting on this sound demonstration on social networks see it as one more argument to ban motorbikes from Paris…
Horns, vrou vroum and blocking of pedestrians. Nothing better to definitively convince residents and passers-by that motorcycles & scooters are one of the main scourges in Paris. @ RasLeScoot pic.twitter.com/cZQ5hS9hJw
- Philipp Hertzog (@PHsansE) July 18, 2020To the question Why motorcycles should not pay for parking while cars pay, Jean-Marc Belotti, spokesperson for the FFMC Paris says “have arguments: we are an alternative to the congestion of cities. We are less polluting. We don't run on diesel. We travel less time. We take up less space ”.
Bikers denounce a "witch hunt"
Jean-Marc Belotti, criticizes Anne Hidalgo for having "radicalized since she's been with the greeners who put pressure on her" and denounces a "witch hunt" even if, he admits, handsome lord, "she us had promised 5000 free places for motorcycles in Paris and it has kept its word. ”
Paris Newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
But the bikers also denounce "a measure against the suburbs while Paris cannot live without its suburbs. Many bikers cannot afford to stay in Paris. They shouldn't have to pay to come to the capital. ”
“We are not against ecology, says a young man on the handlebars of a big engine, on the contrary. We don't want to be stigmatized, not penalized. In Paris, the two-wheeler must be favored. ”
The project is not yet activated. "We are not madmen, coward Jean-Marc Belotti. What we want is to be included in the discussions. ”