In late 2015, the world turned to Paris for the COP21 United Nations climate negotiations. Climate groups had planned major protests to show the scale of public pressure for action. But after terrorist attacks in Paris, the French Government declared a state of emergency and the protests were banned.
The organisers had to reimagine the action. If people could not march, their presence could still be made visible. At the Place de la République, they laid out 20,000 pairs of shoes to stand in for the protesters who had been prevented from gathering.
The action worked because it showed rather than merely told. The number of shoes made popular pressure visible. But each worn pair also made it human, representing a person who could not be there.
The story reveals the connection between action and reflection. When the original protest became impossible, organisers did not simply give up or push ahead with the same plan. They paused, interpreted the changed conditions, and found another way to act. Reflection did not replace action; it made a different kind of action possible.
Photo: CNS photo/Eric Gaillard, Reuters
