Rue Daunou, in the area round the Opera in Paris. A street full of bars and restaurants. The most famous is Harry’s New York bar, a meeting point for the American community in the French capital. Last night, you could not get in unless you were a VIP or a journalist from a major media. But the party was not in the bars: it was in the street.


The night was quite warm for this time of the year. Hundreds of people, American, French, and other Europeans had come here to celebrate. Everybody was standing in the street, with a pint of beer in their hands. Regularly, you could hear loud cheers, clapping. And sometimes boos, when John McCain won a state. Here and there, you could see placards and tee-shirts supporting Barack Obama.

Definitely no trace of Republican activists: “If anybody here voted for McCain, he wouldn’t say”, admitted Heather, a psychology student who had come with her friends. She was a Democrat and said so. His personality, his platform, she liked everything. She let us take a photo of her with her friends. “Say ‘Obama’ when you smile!”, the girls said.

Still, like many people in the street, Heather was a bit disappointed she could not watch the election: “We expected there would be a TV in the bar. We have a TV at home but we wanted to come here to party. But we’re not going to stay, we’ll look for another place in Paris where we can find a screen”.
Stephen, from NYC, had brought with him a map of the US and felt-tip pens to follow the election without having to actually see the screen. He was also following on a ladder the number of Electors won by each candidate.

The 'Manneken Pies' was the only bar in the street where there was a TV visible from outside. Many people were watching through the window, asking each other: “Did you see? How many states for Obama?”. The first black president of the USA was definitely the star of the evening. According to Thibaut, who was born in San Diego but has been living in France since he was 5 years old, this is really typical of Europe. “I was in New York city a few days ago. Although this state is traditionally Democrat, there is no ‘Obamania’ there. In France, the atmosphere is different: everybody is so sure Obama is going to win. In the US, it does not seem so obvious”.
Thibaut thought he knew where the Republicans were last night: “There is a reception at the American embassy. But the entrance fee is 120 euros!”

When asked the question “what will you do if McCain is elected?”, all Americans answered the same: “Hide!”. “I’d feel scared for any American here”, said, smiling, Julia, a student from Texas.
And there were many French in the street. Valérie and her daughters, Clara and Juliette, had come with the appropriate costume:

“This is a historical moment and we want to be part of it. We want to find the USA we loved again”. If Obama was not elected: “It would be such a massive disappointment everywhere in the world”.
In fact, the only embodiment of a Republican last night rue Daunou was what Katy and her friends had called their “Sarah Palin doll”. It helped them find each other in the crowd, and according to them, it looked very much like the governor of Alaska…


Reportage: Eve Abou Eleinein
Images: Marie Amélie Putallaz