Football and Fire: Saints vs. Steelers Fans Caught in French Unrest

And welcome back to The Factor Uncensored. If you have been watching the news, you're probably aware of all the protests and riots that are going on in France. People upset about the economic conditions there. Well, some friends from America, including Louisiana and Pittsburgh, found themselves in the middle of that for a football game. The Saints versus the Steelers. We found some Saints fans and we talked about it tonight. Let's get to it. And joining us here on The Factor Uncensored, we have the Saints fans contingency with us. We have Michael Gilgen, Tanisha Johnson, and Harold Wayne Chapman. And all of you guys were in Paris for the New Orleans Saints versus the Pittsburgh Steelers game. And this all happened in the heat of a major protest in that country. People are upset about the cost of living and the conditions that they're in. It all began with the high school. So, Michael, first of all, did this affect you guys while you were in town for the Saints game? No, not at all, man. Matter of fact, we rarely saw those people until we got on the subway. You know what I'm saying? And they didn't bother us. We didn't bother them because we're not in their fight. You know what I'm saying? Their issues is not with us. So, you know, we just continued on as if, hey, I see you, but I don't see you. Oh, yeah. All right, Harold, what was your experience like in Paris, France, with all this upheaval going on? Well, first of all, that was my first time there, and I was really uneasy because I didn't know. I was trying to see if I was going to go or not, and we decided to go, and I really didn't have a lot of problems. I didn't see a lot of protests, but where I stayed, the hotel, the people that worked there, the workers and employees, They was kind of. It was like they was in an unrest. You know, they they they wasn't real friendly. And when we was in the Uber, I asked the guy, I said, have you seen anything? And he was like, no. He said the police presence was deep. I'm telling you, it was it was a lot of police. And I didn't have any problems. It was just cold and rainy, but I didn't see anything that that that was. Turn me down, turn me away from going again or anything like that. And Carol, you said the hotel employees were almost agitated. Did they make you stay uncomfortable or they still took care of business? You could just see that they had more going on. Yes, yes, it was uncomfortable. I was kind of scared, but to them, it was like a straight face. They was like talking to me. I was like, what? You know, I was telling my friend, I was like, what's going on? I was like, are they mad with me or something? But, you know, the service was just enough to get us to stay. It wasn't a pleasant stay, you know. They wouldn't talk to you much. I was like, hey, can I get this? Can I get some towels or stuff? And they was like, hey, what you need? And I was like, this, this. And they took it. I had to call back to get it, and I had to wait for drinks. I had to wait for my food. I had to raise my hand, like, like to see, like, are you, you know, I'm still here, right? And it was just that experience, you know, you know, I'm like, you know, I'm still here. All right, Tanisha, how was your visit there? Did you notice or did you feel any of the unrest that was going on with the people there? Did you see any of that? The only thing that we really saw was when we were on the subway, we saw the protesters that they were getting on the train. That made me a little uneasy, but I understand that it wasn't necessarily like rioting, but they were protesting because of their concerns. I think we're just used to the southern hospitality. And everybody's not like like us. So, you know, we walk in. Good morning. How are you doing? And they're just pretty much straightforward about business. Can I help you? Let me get this or whatever. And when you're just accustomed to people greeting you when you walk in the door, it's just different when we visit, you know, other places. And Mike, you had your daughter there who lives in Europe. Guiding you most through your trip and navigating you through, did that make a difference for you? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It made it, man, look, it made the trip so much easy because I didn't have to be a parent. You know what I'm saying? I was just along for the ride, you know. So she showed us how to navigate through the city without, you know, because a lot of my friends use Uber. All right. So we was catching the metro and the subway, you know, to move around and navigate throughout the city. But it made the trip so much easy, you know, with her presence. But, uh, going back to the, to the protesters, man, look, I was watching on the news, you know, where the policeman was actually beating these people, you know what I'm saying? So I'm like, wait a second. Y'all done got y'all ass beat by the police. You don't want this smoke from these people from New Orleans, you know what I'm saying? So you better, better go about your business, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, like I say, man, they didn't mess with us at all. And, you know, when I saw the policemen, you know, hey, I was shaking hands with them to let them know, hey, you got the wrong look. You got the wrong person, you know what I'm saying? I might be black, but I ain't wearing black, you know? There you go. Well, guys, it seems like, but you did overall enjoy your trip. Really quick, let's do a quick roundtable, like five seconds each. Did you enjoy your visit to Paris, France, to see the Saints overall despite the protest going on? Yes, yes, yes. Let's begin with you. Oh, yes. I enjoyed myself. It was a pleasant experience. For me, just experience Paris for the first time and getting out just to see it and do something different in life. It was good. And the weather was great for the game. Too bad we lost, but it's good. It was good. Tanisha? The game was a land, yeah. I've always wanted to visit Paris and visit my wife for hours. So. It was still a win for me. There you go. Michael, wrap us up. Man, look. Look, I failed French in school, you know what I'm saying? But I caught up on it later, you know what I'm saying? So we matured, you know what I'm saying? Part of you, you know what I'm saying? Je m'appelle Michael. You know what I'm saying? All that ----, man. Had a great time. You know, even though we didn't win the game, we came out as winners. You know, if you went on a trip, you had the culture, you know, the people, everything, man. It was nice, real nice. Still to come here on The Factor Uncensored, where journalism turns into advocacy. That and more coming your way next here on The Factor.