Nov 1, 2015-2015
France
Marching Shoes strike
Share
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).
Related cases
Jan 10, 2007-2007
Guinea
President of Guinea Lansana Conté had seized power in 1984 through a coup. He was subsequently elected as President for three election cycles. The average price of liv...
/
Jun 1, 2020-2020
Belarus
President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for 26 years by using several tricks and tactics to remain in power. The arrests of several opposition candidates have...
/
Aug 11, 2008-2008
Belarus
In early August 2008, after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili sent troops into the rebellious province of South Ossetia, Russia came to its defense, beginning a f...
/
Subscribe to our newsletters to get full access to all materials on our website.