On Tuesday, June 4th, the “4 Cafés Citoyens Réunis” took place. From 7 to 9 PM, this European evening offered oral presentations on various topics. From the European Circle Victor Hugo, Café of Democracy, Nice’s Film Café, to the Ecology Café… these different topics sparked debates and activities.
The evening was held at the Louisiana Salon of the Splendid Hotel in Nice. 25 people gathered in the hotel’s room to listen to the short introductions and debate on Europe. The history of Europe, the European Parliament, French Cinema, and the environment were the subjects addressed and discussed. In this small room, blue chairs were aligned in rows. In front of them, there were two tables with three men and one woman behind them. These individuals, microphone in hand, were there to introduce the various topics. Among the audience, older men and women were seated, ready to engage in discussion.
Let the European debates begin
Thus, at 7 PM, the evening kicked off. It began with the history of Europe. The first man behind the tables, equipped with his microphone, started his introduction which led to the debates: “The birth of Europe happened with tragedies, do you agree?” to which someone responded: “In my eyes, history is made up of stories. So I doubt the existence of truth. I am very skeptical, so I need to learn from sincere people. The feeling I get when I look at Europe is that there are thousands of lobbies doing business. So where is the truth?”
The debate continued with questions, doubts, and responses. The person introducing the first segment reiterated his points, citing facts and current events to support his claims. The woman next to him took the floor to further elaborate on lobbies: “There are what we call bad lobbies and those considered gentler, like NGOs that have a strong lobbying strategy at the European level. But not all lobbying activities happen solely in the European Parliament.”
Opposing viewpoints in the debates
The evening continued with other topics. This time, the tension was palpable within the Assembly. The different opinions were felt and expressed. One person shared their perspective while others complained about the points raised. Some sighed, others laughed, or nodded to show agreement or dissatisfaction. Such was the case when a man, seated at the back of the room, intervened to share his view on Europe. He supported his comments with observations: “I notice that…” and then continued with an endless list of what he observes and finds displeasing.
The evening proceeded in the same manner. The people behind the tables had five to ten minutes to speak. Following this, the microphone circulated around the room and passed to those who wished to share their thoughts. After expressing their opinions, the microphone returned to the speakers to develop their discourse. This continued until 9 PM, the time when the evening concluded.
