Report from Paris
Paris gathering was the most important one ever organized. Just one single arrest at the ultimate end, with one raver totally stoned whose agressivity became a danger for his comrades. About 5 000 peoples gathered.Before saturday, a long week of negociations with authorities, where some differences occured between home affair ministry (sending a letter to confuse all...), the local city authorities and the state district police. As in 2001, and 2003 and 2004, the demonstration was not authorized, but not forbidden, that means "tolerated". In 2002, it was officially prohibited, and last year in 2005, we had extraordinarely succeeded to obtain an legal authorisation to demonstrate for cannabis legalisation.
So for the fifth anniversary, the only bad news arrived from the sky, with two big raining showers that even didn't affect the crowd and "fresh spirit of demonstrators" quoted an old vietnamese woman celabrating the organisers.
About 10 organisations hold stalls, two musical scenes (one live, the second a techno sound system), and media coverage. Most support came from the french Greens Party Drugs group, some elected members of the city and region councils. We opened up with a special greating to Mexico and spread latina music. Then, under tropical rain a jamaican style two MC's Onylee warmed up the people, a brass band live finish the first music part with a great vibration for all participants.