Presidential Amnesty Party Today

Prison Gates Open, Parking Tickets Trashed

n anticipation of the traditional amnesty, accorded upon the election, or reelection, of the President of France, lawbreakers have been sneering at the forces of law and order for months.

The Amnesty does not apply to psychotic-homicidal child molesters, who get routinely paroled, nor does it apply to terrorists convicted of killing dozens in bomb incidents - they merely get deported for 'reasons of state.'

France is not alone in according general presidential or royal amnesties; it is a practice in Senegal and Belgium. Other countries, such as Morocco, Brazil, and Greece accord amnesties on national or religious occasions. Countries that occasionally declare amnesties are Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Amnesties, such as are the tradition in France, are unknown in most 'very civilized' countries, on the reasonable grounds that they are invitations to lawlessness - their very fact being an anticipation of pardon. This issue has been hotly debated here; and not just because the French like debating, about anything at all.

Although this effect is recognized in France - road security organizations predict that 500 people more than usual will be killed on account of it. They base their predictions on past amnesties, and the fact that average roads speeds have risen three percent in the last few months.

Any infraction that costs three 'black' points or less, will be wiped out - and that includes driving without insurance coverage, the Automobile Club de France noted. The amnesty only applies to those whose fines total less than 5000 francs. No 'points' already lost will be returned, much to the dismay of many on the verge of having their driving permits suspended.

Since it is France, there are contradictions. The weekly magazine, Auto-Plus, suggested that it was safer to drive at 180 kph at night on the autoroute than to illegally park in some areas. The magazine, just the same, counseled its readers in an November 1994 issue, to quit paying parking tickets.

In Paris, there is no legal street parking except on Sundays.

The army of nicely-dressed ladies who swarm all over Paris every day, except Sunday, to place their little mementos under your windshield wiper, are somewhat demoralized. But since the law was not law until it was voted and passed, they have carried bravely on, even in the face of rude provocations. What motorist has not dreamed of taking a pile of parking tickets from under his windshield wiper, and... calmly tearing them to tiny smithereens in front of the ticket lady's nose?

On a more somber side, the new amnesty is more restrictive than the amnesties of 1981 or 1988. For example, in 1981 prison terms of up to six months were amnestied; this year the bar will be set at terms of three months or less, six months or less for suspended sentences. Not amnestied are contempt of court, violently resisting arrest, and convictions for crimes by anti-abortionists. Convicted escapees, who would normally be amnestied, will not be. These measures affect about 1500.

There is a basic rule to the amnesty: it only covers infractions committed up to the date of the beginning of the official exercise of office by the new president - that was Thusday, May 18th. You can tear up all the parking tickets you got before that date. But, aha, because this is France, the ticket ladies have copies of all those torn-up tickets, and the measure isn't legal until today. That means that government collection agencies have been working overtime; if necessary, impounding wages, blocking bank accounts, seizing furniture. Of course, there are only a limited number of these agents - the fines they won't have collected are estimated to total eight billion francs.

The 'law of amnesty' will be the first legislative business to be transacted by the new government. Since it has taken about five weeks to discuss this law and pass it, patience is probably going to be required for any other business this government proposes.

At the end of June, the legislation concerning the next budget will be discussed. Since this usually means the traditional July 1st tax hikes, it will probably be retroactive. Value-added tax is expected to go up two points to 20.6 percent, just in time to rise the price of super by about 10 centimes a litre, which will be about $1.25. A litre!

One of the points under discussion, will be exactly how the government has decided to collect the eight billion francs - from every taxpayer in the country.

Including me. It almost makes me wish I had some parking tickets to tear up.

Return to Richard Erickson's Paris Journal

Updated 04/95