Nov 1, 2015-2015
France
Marching Shoes strike
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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP
People's Climate Movement
TARGET
Governments, Corporations,
WIDELY HELD BELIEF
That climate change must still be addressed, even when restrictions are put in place to prevent direct demonstrations from arising.
CASE NARRATIVE
Issue and Opponent: The annual Climate March movement was prohibited by the French government due to a terrorist attack on November 13, 2015. However, protests still wished to demonstrate their commitment to climate change despite the lockdown order.
Dilemma Action: Protestors left shoes in the Place de la République in a silent demonstration. Included were shoes sent from Pope Francis and then UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon.
Outcomes: Climate protestors in other countries interpreted this event as sending people to march in their place. It helped spur many more French citizens to continue sending their shoes to the Place de la République. The shoes were removed on the same day, having succeeded in their message. It took place on the day of the annual Climate March and was done concurrently with other marches around the world.
PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL
NONVIOLENT TACTICS USED
DA TACTICS USED
Assemblies of protest or support
CASE NARRATIVE WRITER
SUCCESS METRICS
6 / 12
(MC) Media Coverage
(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists
(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public
(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent
(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists
(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public
PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN
3 / 3
Activist group continued working together after the action
Encouraged more participants to join the movement
Internally replicated by the same movement
RESOURCES
Project documentation
Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook
Case study documentation
Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset
SOURCES
BBC News. 2015. “COP21: Rallies call for Paris climate change action,” Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-34956825).
Sutter, John D. “‘The shoes are marching for us,’” CNN. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/29/opinions/sutter-climate-demonstration-paris-cop21/index.html).
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