Riot? Well, Rowdy Protest

LIZ SAYS:
Well, last night was certainly uniquely Parisien!
First, I must explain. I am sleeping on the sofa until my dear husband can join me. He is being held up by the red tape concerning the birds. A problem caused by both governments and desk jockeys. When he comes, we will move to the bedroom.
Consequently, last night when I heard a rhythmic chant, it first occurred to me that someone had their TV on very loud at 10 minutes to midnight. That seemed unusual but not too strange. So, I just tried to sleep anyway. But then, the noises started to sound like men yelling, whistles and glass breaking and big claps, like things falling.
I rushed to the french doors and opened them to find some 200-300 people marching and yelling some sort of chants in the streets. They were dragging garbage and the barriers previously erected by city workmen into the street. They were dragging the green and gray metal barrier sections into the street to block any traffic that would come after they passed. They totally blocked the street. There was a huge heavy bag of solid concrete, the white thing in the photo. They drug that to the street, dumped all the garbage they could find in the public garbage recyclers, pushed the huge recyclers into the street. It was an amazing display of strength and as it turned out restraint. No cars seem to have been damaged. I haven't been downstairs yet, but I don't think any windows have been broken.
All of my neighbors were out on their balconies, as well. We are very high up, on the 5th floor (US), so we all felt very safe.
I promptly Skype'd my husband and we talked down the large amount of adrenalin that was running through my system.
What was it all about? I have no idea. I turned on France 24 English and they had a canned discussion about NATO and the new french move to re-join.
I have to wait for the mail until noon, I am still waiting on papers to come in the mail. Part of the long stay visa process which is endless. So, I will miss the morning until these official translations are delivered and signed for.
I scoured the news to find out about the protest. As I think I have said before, it's not a day in Paris without a protest/demostration, in french a "manifestation". I think this one was done near midnight to avoid the police.
When I went to my new gym earlier, there were many police across the street. They had on their armadillo-like black armor. When I asked what it was all about, the trainers laughed and said, "ah, how do you say in english? un manifestation". "Demonstration", I said and we laughed, partially because its an everyday occurrence somewhere in Paris and partially because I have developed my own hybrid of english and french I called Franglish. They liked that. Conversation by conference, it took 3 of us to say anything.
Ah, vive la France!