I marched with over 25,000 people in an anti-war protest in Boston yesterday. The sign I chose to carry (made by frieds the night before) had a French flag and the Statue of Liberty and said "Vive la France!" as well as "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite."

Very interesting the sorts of responses I got.

MOST of the time when people responded to it, they looked with interest and usually smiled, or gave some sign of encouragement (thumbs up, or saying they liked my sign). I also had a bit of silly patter to go with it; in an outrageously fake French accent, I said "Vive la France! Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite, cafe au lait, Vive La france!" When I got to "cafe au lait" people laughed. Some people carred baguettes and wore berets; one sign said "Make French Fries, Not War."
When I ran into one of the other French supporters, a tall guy (also wearing a French sailor's shirt) we chanted together in call and response style: he said "Vive la France!" and I repeated the other four French words. Whe we parted he'd adopted the "cafe au lait" for his own.

Along the route some people hung French flags out their windows (though the Boston police were telling people not to hang out of their windows and threatened to fine those who did), and some folks standing on balconies waving tiny French flags seemed delighted when I shouted up at them and showed my sign. During the march my friends and I, amidst other chants and a few harmonized choruses of "Dona Nobis Pacem" picked up by other marchers, also made up other pro-France chants, like "Baguettes Not Bombs" and "Brioche Not Bombs" and "Make French Toast not War."

On the negative side, one student standing with some others (not sure what college but they seemed to be standing in front of one of it's buidings) challenged me with some sort of statement about breaking some contract with Saddam; it sounded like horse hockey so after suggesting he march with us and make his feelings known ("Why would I march with you?" he sneered) I told him to have a nice day and moved on. We passed several enclaves of pro-war protestors, most of them seeming to be working class men between their 20s and 40s. (Carrying clever signs that said things like "Hey Professional Protestors: Take a shower and get a real job!" or "Flag Burners Go Home!")Several of them saw my sign and said "go back to your own country!" I continued chanting in my ridiculously theatrical fake French accent and they STILL thought I was French! Which I found unbelievable.
At one point some French students tried talking to me in French when they saw my sign and I had to admit "Ma francais est terrible." They laughed when I tried to converse with them in nonsense phrases like "cafe au lait" and "omelette du fromage." One older Veteran (must have been in his 70s at least) who stood along the route covered in buttons and medals, waving an American flag and a sign stating he opposed the war, said "Vive la France!" when I walked by. I went over and kissed him on the cheek, and thanked him for being there.


All in all an amazing day, and even the weather cooperated. Sunny and windy but warm, with just a few momentary bouts of light drizzle. The numbers were just short of the expected 30-50,000 but I imagine these marches will just keep growing. The next one in Washington is expected to top a million.