Patrick Galliand

AFP met Patrick Galliand, 59, at his home in Morsang-sur-Orge in the Paris suburbs, on March 22, 2019.

Why were you there?

I came to join the protest with a few friends because we thought it was important to express how frustrated we were.

What happened?

There was a friendly atmosphere, people were singing and chanting… nothing unusual, then suddenly the tear gas came, then the riot police charged… We moved to a side street to get away from it all and at some point, we heard “they’re charging! They’re charging!” I heard a very loud bang and felt a shock to the head, in my eye. My eye was bleeding.

What is your life like now?

The first thing you feel is disbelief. You can’t understand what’s happened. Then very quickly, you feel angry. Towards the politicians, towards the police. I’m one of the lucky ones, as my employer has supported me. My job involves going up onto roofs. There’s a risk I might not see where I put my foot (...) I always wear goggles now because if something happens to my good eye, that’s it, I’m blind.

I went to a demonstration for the injured; it was important to me to talk about what happened, but it was a difficult experience. People were setting off firecrackers. With every explosion, I felt a rush of panic.