Foes of “marriage for all” are giving Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe their two-cents’ worth—literally.
Some of the tens of thousands of demonstrators who marched against equality near the Eiffel Tower on January 13 are sending Delanoe checks for less than a dollar to pay for damages they inflicted on the Champ-de-Mars while spreading their ignorance.
It’s estimated repairs will cost about $132,000, but the petty donations are causing more problems than they’re solving: Delanoe says it could cost more in postage to issue receipts than the amount of money he’s received.
Delanoe, who is gay, said protesters had damaged more than 4,000 square yards of grass and sent the bill to the demonstration organizers.
“Those are the rules,” Delanoe said, adding that it was “normal and legitimate” to ask for the “collective” that organized the protest to pay up. He said he had presented bills to French rock star Johnny Hallyday in 2009 and to the group SOS Racism in 2011 after fans and supporters caused similar damage in the city.
In response, organizers urged supporters to send checks for between 10 cents and 1 euro, or about $1.30, to City Hall. When 9,000 people did, raising $1,175, Delanoe admitted the donations were literally more trouble than they were worth.
We say make them plant the sod and fix the park themselves.
How about we take this to the next level?
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1EqualityUSA
it’s symbolic to the damage they inflict on our community.
2eo
Man am I glad my Grandad killed so many of these turncoat French during the war. The same groups of people have always being collaborators and France haters.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
Sue them for the damages, and ban them from marching in the future. If they do–send out the Sûreté to bust their heads. If they love Jesus so much, facilitate their eventual meeting with their maker.
mcflyer54
These groups rarely play fair. If they want receipts make them ask for them nd provide a self addressed stamped envelope.
Billysees
In the future, charge the organizers with some kind of a “damage deposit” before granting them a permit to protest.
Maybe a dollar-a-head for the estimated number of participants, say, for example.
Then maybe they’ll behave better.