New York under siege

David Benaym · September 3, 2004

Translated from the French. Original: La Dernière Heure, September 3, 2004 · French version

New York Under Siege

(03/09/2004)

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN THE UNITED STATES,

DAVID BENAYM

Some Americans dreamt of a quiet return after the summer; they had not reckoned with the Republican convention in New York.

Helicopters circle over Manhattan in an endless security ballet. Rows of police officers line the main avenues. The barriers installed on the pavements around Madison Square Garden stand against protesters and onlookers. Yes, the Republicans are in town, and they do not go unnoticed. A conventional convention, that of the elephants of the American heartland. The mood in the streets of New York is one of stress and fear. Impossible to walk through the heart of the city without meeting the inquisitive gaze of a Secret Service patrolman, earpiece and badge in place.

Between protesters and New Yorkers heading to work, there is little difference. 5 New Yorkers out of 6 are anti-Bush, and most express it through their T-shirts, caps or badges pinned to their clothes. “Only two more months under the Bush empire,” proclaims Jenny, 32, an apparent clone of the heroine of Sex and the City. Jeffrey, just 19, will vote for the first time: “I know it’s the most important election in years, and I have the chance to give my point of view. Bush must go, and I demonstrate every day so that the TV channels show our discontent”.

Here, everyone has an opinion. And everyone uses their right to express it. Apart from a few official buildings linked to the Republican convention, no welcoming message appears in the city’s shop windows, as is usually the custom when a city hosts a political event in the United States. On the contrary, shopkeepers put their efforts into anti-W messages expressing their point of view. As at Christmas or Halloween, the shop windows reflect the mood reigning over Manhattan. “Discounts for Democrats”, “Welcome to Republicans who want to go home”: ironic messages are on every street corner. Dozens of organisations gather every day on Herald Square, a few blocks from Times Square and the Broadway musicals.

A little further on, Bush’s supporters live entrenched in the den of Madison Square Garden, temple of parties, concerts and sporting events. Where Madonna was performing only a few weeks ago, the most radical American voters chant slogans for Bush to stay in power: “4 more years”. In the front rows, the Texas delegates, decked out in cowboy boots and hats, chant hate messages against the Democratic candidate: “Kerry is for pussies”. Political demands are rare; what we see is rather verbal jousting by television screens. What matters most for all these activists is to be visible so that the big networks can carry their messages to the heart of the American heartland. After a controversial election in 2000, Americans are preparing for the most partisan vote in their history. In exactly two months, the world will finally know whether to count on George W. Bush or John F. Kerry to take the helm of the world’s greatest power.

D. B.