France Becomes the New District 13

Smoke curled around a towering bronze statue of Marianne, the national representation of the French Republic. Suzanne Collins’s famous novel The Hunger Games evoked real-life resonance on Oct. 17, as hundreds of demonstrators from the Orchestra du Nouveau Monde played “The Hanging Tree” while police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd of Parisians.   

Led by Etienne Jarrier, 24, the orchestra gathered in Place de la République to protest rising unemployment, high costs of living and worsening school conditions, caused by a lack of funding, teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protests, officers attempted to clear the area with tear gas while the musicians played on defiantly. 

“It’s trying to divert attention from a legitimate movement that demands better public services, better lives,” Jarrier said. “By making this about violent police repression, they divert attention from the real concerns. We are not the martyrs, but the image of an orchestra being gassed should be an alarm signal.”

“The Hanging Tree” is an evocative folk song from The Hunger Games movie series, sung by protagonist Katniss Everdeen in rebel propaganda broadcasts. These "propos" were used to fuel resistance against the corrupt Capitol, and the song quickly became a symbol of rebellion after being banned by officials. The morbid lyrics tell the story of an executed man who asks his lover to “wear a necklace of rope” and die by his side. The message quickly transformed into a rallying cry, as people preferred to die fighting rather than endure an oppressive regime. 

The song has developed into an emblem of defiance against authoritarianism, having been used in protest movements across the world (including in Myanmar and Thailand). The power of the song’s haunting melody has leaked from the pages, mirroring the deep frustration the French people have with their government’s negligence.