Orchestra Played On Amid Tear Gas in Paris: 400 Musicians Forced to Stop as Protests Continue Despite Bans

As riot police encircled Place de la République in Paris, lobbing tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators, conductor Étienne Jarrier and his orchestra played on. They kept playing even after everyone else had disappeared and tear gas was still being fired into the central Paris square.

It was only when Jarrier noticed his musicians were being directly targeted that he ordered them to stop. 'There were tear gas canisters landing in the double bass and music stand cases, and starting fires the musicians had to stamp out,' he said.

The incident took place last week in Paris. Since then, the protest atmosphere across France has intensified. After a weekend of clashes and widespread looting, French authorities have banned demonstrations in multiple cities — yet on Thursday dozens of protesters still took to the streets of Paris despite the bans.

The orchestra that was gassed is the Orchestre du Nouveau Monde (ONM), or New World Orchestra. Accompanying protests is nothing new for them. Co-founded by Jarrier in 2022, the Paris-based ensemble is made up of hundreds of young professional and amateur musicians, all volunteers, committed to blending classical music with activism, particularly social and climate justice.

The orchestra describes itself as 'anti-racist, anti-capitalist, feminist, environmentalist and committed to de-growth', with the dual aim of linking artistic performance with activism and increasing awareness of classical music among the young rather than its traditional following.

In 2022, the ONM played at the foot of a melting Alpine glacier; two years later it performed outside the headquarters of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), playing a parody of an anthem popular with Marshal Pétain's Vichy regime that collaborated with the Nazis. Last year it formed a welcoming committee outside a television station for RN leader Marine Le Pen, playing the EU anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Jarrier, 25, said: 'We're very happy to play at demonstrations. There are lots of anthems for social struggles in France, like the Marseillaise or the International or activist music of the last centuries, but it's important to play music that appeals to new generations.'

For the recent protests, its repertoire has included The Hanging Tree from The Hunger Games and the theme from Marvel's The Avengers film. 'Music from a superhero movie on a day of social struggle seemed appropriate,' the conductor said.

Photographs of last Saturday's protests show Jarrier, baton raised, conducting the ONM against the backdrop of the 10-metre bronze monument representing Marianne, symbol of the French republic, amid a dense white cloud of tear gas.

On Saturday, Jarrier had invited musicians to join the orchestra at Place de la République, the starting point for the official demonstration by high-school students protesting a failing and unjust education system, and by unions angry at the government's failure to address wider grievances.

Jarrier said: 'It was a day of what we call a convergence of struggles. The orchestra is engaged politically in the fight, so our presence was necessary on such a day. We appealed to any musicians with an instrument who wanted to play to come to Place de la République before the official protest march starting at 1pm.'

As between 400 and 500 musicians gathered in the square, orchestra members alerted the CRS riot police that they would be present and performing. 'We asked them to let us know if they plan to charge or gas the square, and they said they would warn us,' Jarrier said.

'While we were rehearsing, a very happy crowd of people of all ages gathered around us. Then the tear gas canisters started being thrown around the orchestra. Not directly at us at that point. After a while there was almost nobody there except us.'

Jarrier alleged: 'Clearly the aim was to clear a peaceful crowd from the place, which is quite serious and something we've not seen before. But even when the square was empty all around us, the CRS continued to gas the orchestra. After 20 minutes we had no choice but to stop playing.'

He said the musicians were 'stunned' and 'truly shocked'. 'It was quite scary. We'd reassured the musicians before the protest saying: Don't worry — they're not going to use tear gas or charge us when we're peaceful.'

As the musicians packed away their instruments, the orchestra's security volunteers formed a human chain between the musicians and the police.

Jarrier said: 'We are very angry about what happened. It's an extremely serious shift in maintaining order; the government is not listening to demands and is responding not with politics but police.'

In his words: 'It's trying to divert attention from a legitimate movement that demands better public services, better lives. By making this about violent police repression they divert attention from the real concerns. We are not the martyrs, but the image of an orchestra being gassed should be an alarm signal.'

French security forces, including the CRS riot police, have been widely criticised for aggressive policing of recent demonstrations, particularly their liberal use of stun grenades, flash-balls, baton charges and tear gas against protesters. Yet they seemed unable to stop those looting shops and destroying public buildings, critics also noted.

The French Ministry of Defence and the Paris police prefecture were asked to comment on the use of tear gas at Place de la République but did not respond. With protests continuing on the streets despite bans, attention now turns to where the movement and the police response head in the coming days.