The protests over the new labor contract, CPE, have hogged French media coverage for the past week, but I had somehow sidestepped all the manifestations on the streets. The story had piqued my curiosity however, so I decided on Thursday afternoon to go searching for a manifestation in order to better understand what was going on. I knew they are centered at the Cluny-La Sorbonne area of Paris, near the historic Sorbonne building and Pantheon, so I headed that way. By the way, my Sorbonne language class is not physically in the historic building or even in that vicinity, which is why I hadn't come across the protests before.

I learned afterwards that the riot I found on Blvd. St. Michel was the worst of all the CPE demonstrations because it was taken over by young people coming into Paris from the outskirt banlieues (suburbs), the same ones who had organized the November riots outside Paris. Thursday night, they weren’t fighting specifically to protest CPE; they just used the cause as a reason to riot and create havoc.

I was shaken most by two things. First, the audacity of the rioters as they kept creeping closer to the blockade of police, pelting debris and taunting them before being chased back. I literally got goose bumps every time a beer bottle was shattered as it was blocked by the riot officers’ shields. Despite the demonstrated vengeance of the rioters, I didn’t feel like I was in grave danger, so I stayed, out of curiosity.

The second thing that really floored me were the completely shattered windows of cafés and storefronts in the historic Sorbonne square. I stood dumbfounded in front of the windows of one café that had been completely smashed by rioters, and couldn't make sense of the message. The storefront of Gap, on the corner, was ravaged by graffiti and irreparable cracks in the glass.

There’s another big manifestation today, and I’m heading out now with a friend to meet it. I’m excited because I think this one, during the day, will have a completely different dynamic.