“The fraction of French people who supported Bush since the last election has diminished,” Pigeon said. “We know him now, whereas we didn’t four years ago. I don’t think the French will protest [his re-election] much, but I fear that there will be more hostility towards Americans.”
Now that the official result has begun to set in, the feeling among many Americans in Paris is that of helplessness and disappointment. “People were able to protest in the United States. Here, we’re told not to,” said Amna Shamim, a junior at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.
Sabo echoed Shamim’s statements. “I’m very disappointed. I can’t believe people would actually vote for Bush. I’m ashamed to be an American in Paris,” she said.
—Staff writer Adam P. Schneider can be reached at aschneid@fas.harvard.edu.