Exactly a year before the assasination attempt on President Chirac the day before yesterday, I stood in a downpour at the corner of the avenue de Friedland on the place de l’Etoile at the top of the Champs Elysees. The exact spot of yesterday’s gunman in fact.
I picked the spot because it was at the top of the Champs Elysees where the parade vehicles sort themselves out. Because of the wet conditions and the roundabout of l’Etoile, the vehicles have to drive slowly, giving me a better view.
As the military parade began President Chirac was driven slowly, in an open topped vehicle which dropped speed even more to negotiate the bend before entering the Champs Elysees. M. Chirac is tall (well over six foot), towering over his bodyguard, he doesn’t wear a hat or cap, and as his convoy meandered past I remarked to myself that with a heavy calibre pistol any shooter would have fancied their chances of hitting M. Chirac several times at a distance of of about ten metres. I myself, never having fired any weapon, would probably have managed to miss.
Over the next couple of days I mentioned this to several French libertarians.
One can imagine my relief to discover that the gunman was a member of a white supremacist organisation which has no links to the French libertarian movement.
I would like to be able to assert with confidence that no libertarian in France would believe that assasinating Chirac would do no good. They are pretty cynical about the merits one politician versus another.
Unfortunately, Chirac is such a dreadfully corrupt character (financially, morally, intellectually) that I can’t think of anyone from his circles who wouldn’t be an improvement. I wouldn’t be able to put them off by saying “So and so could get in and he’d be worse…” So maybe it could have been one of ours. However, to quote the Jackal: “You see, gentlemen, your own efforts have not only failed but have queered the pitch for everyone else.”
Oh well, with any luck he’ll catch pneumonia next time there’s a downpour.
