Almost $900 worth of literature was sold, including 118 books and pamphlets, 11 copies of the Militant and one Perspectiva Mundial. Pathfinder supporters from Belgium and Britain joined five from Paris and one from Marseille to help make the booth a big success.

French participants snapped up 25 copies of the two new French language Pathfinder pamphlets of speeches by Thomas Sankara, as well as seven copies of the New International issue on the "Opening Guns of World War Three" and six copies of Cuba and the Coming American Revolution. Three copies of Capitalism's World Disorder were also sold. Hundreds of copies of a French translation of the September 11 statement opposing Washington's war moves and attacks on democratic rights by Martín Koppel, SWP mayoral candidate in New York, were distributed.

Many of those who came to the Pathfinder stand gave examples of the growing threat to democratic rights and free and open debate that has accompanied the imperialist war drive. Rhanya Ait Gougam, who works as an aid at the Lycée D'Alembert in the working class suburban town of Aubervilliers just outside of Paris, stopped by the Pathfinder stand with a group of her young friends. Gougam, who is just a few years out of high school, comes from the Kabyle region of Algeria.

"Many of us--school workers, teachers and students--refused to take part in the three minutes of silence in honor of the Americans killed in New York," she said. "It is not fair that we can honor the Americans killed but are refused the right to honor the young Palestinians killed in the intifada or the young Iraqis killed by the bombing and economic blockade of Iraq." She added, "Many teachers were upset about the circular from the Education Ministry ordering the three minutes of silence. The circular said that all critical remarks made by students should be noted down by their teachers, thus transforming them into informers."

George Trebaol, who works at the Renault auto plant at Choisy-le-roi, also stopped by the Pathfinder stand. He told how a demonstration organized in the town where he lives had been canceled the day before. The demonstration had been organized to protest the rerouting of airline landing patterns at the Orly airport. The new routes would bring planes in just over the heavily residential, working-class area. The government had forbidden the demonstration, invoking the Vigipirate emergency plan, which has been reactivated in the wake of the New York attacks. Vigipirate suspends a number of democratic rights and has put machine-gun-toting soldiers into airports and train stations.

The French Communist Party has been declining in members, votes, and influence in recent years. This is the first time in a number of years that participation in the festival has grown. Agence France Presse estimated that over the three days, some 500,000 people came to the festival, many of them attending the numerous concerts that are part of the schedule of events.  
 
 
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