DATELINE
Paris: A Tale of Two Cities
DR 01
Josh Mc & Agnes T
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OPENER |
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VO: A
photojournalist living in Paris, VO: The virus
has taken More than 26
000 lives in FRANCE, most of them, here in the capital. VO: Under one
of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, the streets have been empty… attractions
deserted… Entire neighbourhoods shutdown. VO: Even the
infamous Yellow Vest protests were stopped VO: This week
France begins to unwind its restrictions… But the damage has been done. VO:
Politicians say FRANCE has been United by the pandemic. VO: Felipe WENT
on a mission to find out what Parisians think about that. |
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NANTARRE |
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VO: It’s the
end of April and 53-year-old Kiou, a waiter who
hasn’t worked for months, is still feeling the effects of lockdown in
Nanterre, a suburb of Paris VO: Kiou came from Iran as a refugee in the 80’s. VO: Of Nanterre’s
90,000 residents, he is just one of 20,000 migrants living here. VO: Most OF
THE SUBURB’S WORKING CLASS live in a small pocket of high-density housing. VO: Kiou believes there’s a big difference between how Paris’
workers and the rich experience the virus. KIOU: IV 80% of working people have an essential job, whether it
is in the metro, cashiers in supermarkets, healthcare staff, etc, they earn the minimum wage and less, they are
precarious jobs. this crisis also reveals that those who are working not
only don’t earn enough but they are also exposed to
all the risks. We need to have a close
look at who this Covid 19, this disease, killed,. The social class, we have to count afterward to
see who died and VO: Recent statistics on Paris’
corona virus deaths have revealed an alarming trend. VO: Working class neighborhoods
recorded 128 percent more deaths than wealthy ones. (INSEE) THIS
IS DUE TO HIGHER POPULATION DENSITY AND THE FACT ESSENTIAL WORKERS ARE MORE
EXPOSED TO THE VIRUS KIOU: IV: Everybody
knew that there were disparities in France but not to that extent. The covid crisis put on a big screen, if I could say,
revealed that the disparities are getting deeper and they jump out VO: In Nanterre, this divide can be seen in the one neighbourhood. KIO: IV: This neighbourhood is a bit special there are a lot
of poor people here but it is a chic neighbourhood, Paris suburb VO: Nanterre is a rapidly gentrifying area – rich and poor are
separated by a few streets, but have very different experiences of the virus VO: In the
poorer parts, shops are closed… VO: Food queues are long… VO: AND
ALTHOUGH HERE IN LATE APRIL - WHEN PARISIANS CAN ONLY LEAVE HOME WITH A PERMIT, THESE
STREETS ARE BUSTLING WITH WORKERS BOOST SOUND ON SOT IF POSS VO: In
contrast, the wealthy parts of Nanterre and neighbouring Garrente
are quiet. VO: Here,
people can work from home. AND Many businesses are open, including ones you wouldn’t say are
essential. SOT: Kiou: the chocolatier is open” FELIPE: IV: We hear a
lot in the media that covid attacks all parts of
society equally but in fact theoretically its possible socially it snot what
happens KIOU: IV: When we see disparities in
certain suburbs compared to another its very noticeable. A lot of people
prefer to be blind to the disparities |
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THE POOR |
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Volunteers pile food into
boxes. |
VO: Not everyone is turning a blind eye to those doing it
tough. SOT: Are you packing
the fruits and vegetables
SOT: AURIELE: This is Sarah, we
are both co-chairwomen of the association Nanterre Solidaire.
SOT: SARAH: So yeah, we created
the association in early 2020 with Aurélie. It
started because we've been made aware of a family who was in need... So at
first, it began as a uniting chain between neighbors, but then it grew a lot,
we receive a huge amount of requests from families, [cheers] |
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VO: Nanterre Solidare hope to
bridge the gap by, collecting food and donations from the suburbs more
fortunate and delivering them to those in need. SOT: AURÉLIE: Well here it is.
SOT: AURÉLIE: How are you princesses ? Not too hard to stay at home ? AURIEL: IV: The divide has
widened, and it totally shows. Especially with families who are confined in
extremely derelict housing, again, when five or six people are stuck in
studio apartments, with mould, cockroaches,
bedbugs, while others keep getting some income, |
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INT. TINY APARTMENT – DAY. |
VO: One of Aurelie and Sarah’s regular visits is to a
single mum with 3 young children. Her entire family has spent the last 8 weeks inside a
tiny, one-bedroom apartment. WITH THE CHILDREN SLEEPING ON BUNKS IN THE
KITCHEN SOT: AURÉLIE: How are you today? SOT: LADY: We're good thank you.
It's kind.
SOT: AURÉLIE: Don't hesitate to send us a
message. You also have my number SOT: LADY: OK, thank you it's
very nice. SOT: SARAH: The three of them
are (sleeping) here ? SOT: AURÉLIE: The four of them (four yes, says
the lady) SOT: SARAH: You live with your
three kids just here ? (yes, yes)
SOT: SARAH: Can we take a look
at it ?
SOT: SARAH: Indeed, it is small.
That's all the space you've got ?
SOT: KID: My room over there,
it's still messy.
SARAH: IV There is a difference between
being confined in 20 metre square or 100 metre square…We all know that things are hard in
Nanterre, there are people living beneath the poverty threshold and in very
difficult situations. So, the confinement restrictions are not really
respected here. |
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VO: During lockdown in Paris, the majority of fines have
been issued in poorer areas for leaving home without a permit. Sot: You’re outside. That’s 135 euros.
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Sot: That’s the last straw!
VO: For those living away from these
areas, it’s a completely different story. |
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SCOTT THE MIDDLE CLASS |
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VO: A trip to the inner suburbs reveals
a very different Paris. VO: Scott Hillier a filmmaker
originally from Queensland - is in lockdown with his French wife,
their daughter and her boyfriend, in an apartment block in the city center. SCOTT: IV: We live in about 19
square meters. Um, 95 of the balconies. it's a fabulous place to live in the
17th Arrondisment, I’m not far from Arc
De Triomphe. It's a nice neighbourhood its not far from Sacre Couer, a little bit bourgeous,
too bourgeous for me. I have no idea how they, let
me live here SOT: SCOTT’S DAUGHTER: this is the
final touch of the chef VO: By Paris standards. The
family, are comfortably middle class, but like many in the city, they’ve
had to adapt to eight weeks indoors. SCOTT: IV You don't go,
we don't go shopping in supermarkets, we don't do anything like that. We
order in food. It arrives in the elevator. You leave it outside for six
hours, you put it out in the balcony. SCOTT: IV: Now there's many, many
other people. Other people all around the world who are doing far worse than
we are. We have food, we've got, you know, families around and whatever. We
can't complain. It's just a, it's just a, definitely a very interesting experience. VO: Scott has lived in Paris for 20 years. He runs a local
film festival and has seen the gap between rich and poor widen during his
time here. SCOTT: IV: The class divide in Paris is, is quite obvious
because there's the inside Paris and then there's the outside Paris, the
[inaudible] the suburbs, Paris, it's tiny - and as they've got a big world
around it called the peripheric and everything inside is like a museum. The pavements of Paris are cleaned and swept every single
day. Wash down once a week. They spend a lot of money on keeping it, this
sort of museum quality. Beautiful. Then when you get outside the peripheric,
it's a different world the suburbs, the slums, the whatever, it's just mindblowing. Many, many Parisians just don't go there, they
wouldn’t understand what its like.
SCOTT: IV: The economy is shattered. SCOTT: IV: You’re rich, white, got a big house – you’re
the same as a Senegalese migrant living in the suburbs right now, except
there's 20 of them in the, in the apartment. Everybody's been affected by
this. SCOTT: IV: But to be honest, most French people are just
concerned about getting through the day, getting back to work. And I think
that this has been a great, great equalizer. But everybody's there. We now
have to work together to actually to actually beat this. |
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THE ISLAND EXODUS |
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VO:
IN EARLY MARCH - JUST Ahead of the
lockdown over one million Parisians fled the capital. (Orange phone data) VO:
Those wealthy enough travelled to their second homes to see out quarantine in
more comfort and space in places like this. VO:
The Island of Noirmoutier was one holiday destination
to see a surge of people from Paris and neighboring cities like this dentist. ITV ALEXIA 20.47 J/Rolling. So, what was the impact of covid, of the confinement, for you – / We live in Nantes and we came here to settle
in our holiday home in Noirmoutiers, for two
months, with our children. J/ And why did you prefer to stay here, and
not – Woman/ Because we have a backyard, we have a
bigger house and we weren’t in the CBD. More like in “vacation mode”. But
as the holiday makers flooded in…. the locals feared the virus would spread. 01:30 – It's true that lots of people came to the island and it
created a bit of fear... It created fear, because we didn't know, they came
from places where there are lots of Covid 19 cases,
and they're arriving in a place where there are not many, taht
is a bit secluded, where population is less dense, so it generated fear.
People went to the supermarkets... Many of them went to the supermarkets, to
do their shopping to fill in their holiday homes to come and stay (here).
02:06 The locals like Herve felt the town did not
have the food or medical resources to cope with this sudden population
increase. 2:13 Hervé –in summer, the
population increases tenfold on the island. / When you know that summer is coming, the town
is getting ready for it, doctors are coming over as reinforcement. But this
time, it happened so fast, we feared to be in what we call a « medical
desert », with hospitals being far away... In Challans, that's a half
hour drive... Plus the (local) population on the island is quite old and
ageing, / Do you have an estimate of how many people
came over ?
VO: In the lead up to
this week’s easing of lockdown measures - the wealthy started returning to
the city. VO: And one group is
preparing to get back in the game. |
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KIOU & THE YELLOW VESTS |
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VO: In November 2018 a group of rural delivery drivers
protesting tax increases on fuel, sparked a movement that made headlines
around the world. VO: For 15 months, France’s yellow vest protesters took to
the streets demanding fairer taxation, working and living conditions for the
lower and middle class VO: Named after the safety vests worn by French delivery
drivers, every Saturday, huge rallies shut down cities around the country. VO: Central Paris often became a battleground with brutal
exchanges between protesters and police. VO: For many Saturdays, Felipe captured the protests VO: and in the
middle of it all was an unlikely face from Nanterre. Mild-mannered waiter Kiou |
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INT. KIOU’S APARTMENT – DAY. |
KIOU: SOT: – Here’s my vest. Normally,
every yellow vest has something written on the back. Here’s mine. A man isn’t stupid or intelligent.
He’s free or he isn’t. VO: Kiou helped organize the mass rallies
across Paris, and is one of the faithful KIOU: SOT: To me, a yellow vest in
France today is someone who is part of an
apolitical social movement. But to be a yellow vest is also to be
constantly fighting against inequalities and for freedom. 16:00 Felipe - what
do you think of people, Parisians, who think the yellow vest movement is
dead? 16:07 Kiou - They predicted the movement would die. And
we’re still here. We’ll
show we’re still prepared to fight against inequalities and for freedom. Those people will keep seeing us in the
streets for as long as it takes. ACTUALITY + UPSOTS 16:24
Yellow vester – When the body’s in lockdown, the mind can be
too. VO: The Yellow Vests are far from done VO: Less than two weeks before lockdown restrictions are
set to be relaxed, organizers meet secretly to discuss ways to revive the
protests 16:35
Yellow vester – There’s a text on our demands and a text on the coordination of the yellow
vests. VO: But some don’t want to wait until free
movement is allowed - they want to stage an outdoor rally on May 1st, French
labor day. VO: A traditional day for union
marches and strikes, Last year, May first saw particularly violent clashes in
Paris. 18:12 french yellow vest sot not
subbed? VO: Now Kiou
and the group are arguing whether defying lockdown rules and restarting their
protests on May 1st is a good idea. 17:01
Yellow vester – That’s not what I wanted to do 17:11
Yellow vester – It will only happen if the measures taken to
fight the epidemic have a positive outcome 17:27 Kiou – We’ve discussed it. But we couldn’t agree on one course of action.
Some have decided in every neighbourhood to put out placards on the balconies. Others
have decided to demonstrate in their neighbourhood by gathering at a roundabout. 18:02
Felipe – What will you do? 18:04 Kiou – I’d rather go to a roundabout to
protest alongside other yellow
vests. That small protest at a roundabout on Labour Day 2020 will be the
first under lockdown and hopefully the last to be held that
way. |
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THE CRITIC |
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VO: If the yellow vests do return to the streets, not
everyone in Paris would give them a warm welcome.
VO: Prior to the pandemic - The mass protests hurt many
French businesses including Scott’s
VO: Scott believes
- with the instability and economic fallout from coronavirus - the
nation won’t tolerate any more unrest
SCOTT: IV: But after this pandemic, they've lost people,
they’ve lost a lot of people. I don't think the French will have the patience for that.
The French public one has the patience for that. |
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COMING UP |
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VARIOUS: |
Coming up… Protestors take to the streets on labor
day… |
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BREAK |
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MAY 1 |
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EXT. PARIS STREETS –DAY. |
Across
Paris, it’s Labor Day in lockdown. These streets would normally be filled with workers
marching for their rights but this year the government and unions have
pleaded with workers to stay home and respect the lockdown. But for many, this May Day is the most
important yet. |
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LA REPUBLICA PROTEST |
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VO:
Nanterre’s Kiou hopes Yellow Vest Protestors IT’S BEEN
THE LOW PAID WORKERS KEEPING THE COUNTRY RUNNING DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THEY
WANT THAT ACKNOWLEDGED
VO: But
the police may not let them. KIO: SOT: Wow! 00.23 K/ You see
the policemen over there? Look at the number of policemen! Wow! 00.43 Journalist/
You see your comrades? K/ For the moment,
no. VO: In the face of overwhelming police numbers, a small group of
union members begins a chant… VO: The Police move quickly to shut them down. Cop/ Check this
gentleman, please. Cop/ Sir, good
morning, can you show your written statement. 04.06 K/ Not a
problem. Cop/ Sir, please proceed. K/ I am just
waiting for him to finish, so she can take the banner back and I’ll show you. Cop/ No, put your
banner under your arm. This is a police check, Sir, you’re going to show us- Woman/ Wait, I’ll
take the banner and then - 04.23
Cop/ Sir, I am talking to you Look at me when I speak to you. K/ I
looked at you and I replied to you. Cop/
Ok. You were looking somewhere else. VO: Then what seems like a peaceful protest takes a turn. VO: Kiou is detained.
K/ This gentleman just gave orders, they will fine every protester
and they’ll take us to the metro so we can go back home.
VO: The rally last less than 30mins… There are several arrests
and many fines. The protestors are furious… |
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MONTRIEUL PROTEST |
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EXT. LA MONTRIEUL PROTEST – DAY. |
Kiou – So they’re waiting
at the Montreuil town Hall, where a lot of police are waiting to the yellow
vests to arrest them. VO: Despite his heavy fine, Kiou heads
to a second protest in nearby Montriuel… Woman/
They keep us from entering the square. We can’t access. Man/
The riot squad i1 s everywhere, we almost got fined. K/
There’s only police? Man/
Well, there are other people like us, but it’s full of cops. K/ It’s
full of cops. K/ I
was told, City Hall - Over there is full of cops, that’s why we’re going - Man/
There, it’s full of them too. K/ Ok.
Good luck! VO: Eventually Kiou converges with a
group near the city hall…
Chant/
State of emergency, police state. You won’t stop us from protesting. Chant
(K joins in)/ State of emergency, police state. You won’t stop us from
protesting VO: But the sight of yellow has some seeing red. Cop off screen/
Prepare your written statement of circulation, your ID, and take of your
yellow vest. 05.23 K/ In the state of emergency it doesn’t say that the yellow
vest is forbidden. Cop off
screen/ Take off your yellow vest, Sir. Cop off
screen/ Show me your identification papers, please, Sir. Woman/
Listen to what they tell you. K/ Why?
Woman
off screen/ There’s no reason. Woman/
I don’t know. You’d stay out of trouble. K/ The
law doesn’t say it. We listen to the law. Woman
off screen/ If someone asks me to get naked here, I’m not going to do it. Woman/
All right. 05.45
K/ Law is freedom, M’am. 08.05 K/ Well, let’s go, then. We can go?
VO: For Kiou it’s time to call it a day.
For him, a fine of 335 euros is a small price to pay for his freedom of
speech. Kiou – I
think we'll keep going, even better and even more united, with more and more
of us, in this struggle for freedom and equality... Especially with what just
happened... shortage of supplies, for hospitals, for schools, and other
economical and social issues that have just been exposed by this coronavirus
crisis. |
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THE CHILD / THE END |
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VO: As lockdown measures start to unwind, Paris is coming back to
life. VO: Businesses can re-open with only restaurants and cafes remaining
closed.
And primary schools are welcoming Kids back to
class. They’re only small changes – but already there’s
something on the streets paris has been missing for
months… hope
VO: Because of them, the city endures
– and that knowledge is something that does seem to unite Paris. |
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NEXT WEEK ON DATELINE |
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NEXT WEEK ON DATELINE WE INVESTIGATE WHAT’S BEHIND BIRMINGHAM’S STAGGERING INCREASE IN KNIFE
CRIME AND UP NEXT …THE FEED |
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