Hippolyte Leibovici, 29, channels Gandalf throughout the October protests in Paris, France, on the front line with police. Sener Yilmaz Aslan/Getty Images High-school students in France protesting for basic educational needs have been joined by hundreds of thousands of multi-generational protesters angry about the soaring cost of living. Throughout October, across three consecutive Saturdays of demonstrations, a trend quickly emerged: costumed superheroes, wizards and knights supporting the movement.
This theatrical strategy mirrors the pageantry of the French Revolution, where wearing classic Greek and Roman costumes represented political expression and defiance. Yet, the Paris Police Prefecture doesn’t want any “secret identities” at protests and announced before Saturday’s Halloween Protest that it would enforce a 2010 anti-mask law and issue fines. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with some of the disguised protesters to better understand the message behind their chosen costumes and what they think of the fines.
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Many French students returned to stifling, overcrowded, teacherless classrooms (with no substitute teacher for weeks) as the deadly heatwaves in Europe extended far past their usual summer boundary. Leaking roofs, unsanitary bathrooms, rodents, overloaded class schedules, lack of heating in colder months and a failing higher education admissions system only compounded the issue. What’s more, these students aren’t happy to enter a job market where AI and automated tools threaten to render their future careers obsolete before they even begin.
“The world lacks love, I love you all! Love is what saves us! Sending you all love!” BaddyDeadpool, 29, a content creator from Lyon, France, spent the Oct. 31 protest in Paris dancing and making protesters smile. Sarah Gidick Hippolyte Leibovici, 29, a filmmaker (Mother’s), who dresses as Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings to protest, explains: “This movement started because young students wanted better conditions at school. If President Macron corrected that, well, the protests would have ended right away. I could see that from the other side of the world; it seems terrifying how the French people are protesting — but what you are seeing is an exceedingly small part of the protest — we are talking about less than 1 percent of the protesters.”
The costume, he says, also opens doors with the movement’s youngest participants.
“Because of my costume, high school kids ask for selfies, and we talk. I ask them how school is going, what they are studying and what they want to do next year. Every high school student I have talked to is already very politicized, very well-educated and has dreams that can’t be achieved because of a faulty system.”
By mid-September, students began blocking high school entrances across France, and the movement quickly grew; by October 5, the student-led unions called for national action to reform the education system. By then, the police had been called in. What came next was violence. Life-altering injuries by police include a 15-year-old student who lost a hand to an exploding stun grenade, a 14-year-old with a fractured jaw and teeth and a 14-year-old girl’s near-strangulation, all reported by AP.
By Oct. 8, 6,600 students, mostly under 18, had been arrested. “We got used to police violence, people losing their hand or eye; it’s just a normal Saturday. We know that at the end of the protest, we will get tear-gassed,” explains Leibovici. Social media clips of him as Gandalf delivering the iconic line “You shall not pass!” to riot police deploying water cannons and tear gas conjure a good-versus-evil image online.
But why dress up in the first place? “I can see that it truly brings joy during this dark moment in France’s history, and it’s important for people to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he says. “Humor and satire do not diminish the seriousness of the struggle.”
Batman makes his presence known at the Oct. 31 protest in Paris. Sarah Gidick Luca Kraether, 28, and Thomas Honoré, 30, from Montpellier, France, who dress as knights for the protests, are business partners at Mardieval, an audiovisual and 3D creation company. “Protesting in armor is a way for us to create a strong, symbolic image to support the movement,” they explain. “A knight is a figure that naturally attracts attention, and we also want to break certain stereotypes. This imagery is sometimes co-opted by the far-right as an identity symbol. We want to show that this history and culture do not belong to any political faction — it’s our shared heritage.”
Kreezy, a 37-year-old personal trainer from the Paris region, dresses as Marvel’s Black Panther as an act of solidarity and leans into the superhero symbolism. “[Black Panther] represents the Black African community and protects his country and people with powers,” he says. “The Black Panther represents me the most — I bring peace, joy, humor and hope. To build a better world, we need better people to trust — and who better than a Superhero beloved by the people to fulfill that mission?”
Known to police for his social media antics, BaddyDeadpool, 29, is a content creator from Lyon, France, who often goes viral for giving roses to the police. He believes his Deadpool costume embodies freedom: “Free to think, say, and do whatever he wants — always within limits and respectful of others.” When asked about the protests and why he’s there, he explains, “I’m with the protesters, not for violence; it just brings more violence. Depriving people of their right to protest, tear-gassing people and using batons to beat them is not the right police response.”
“We are not the ultra-violent ones,” reads a protest sign carried by students dressed as A Clockwork Orange characters. Sarah Gidick Since 2010, strict public order laws have made concealing one’s face in public spaces illegal. Ahead of the Oct. 31 protest, the Paris Police Prefecture cited the law and expressly warned protesters not to conceal their faces. Violators faced a 150-euro ($168) fine for wearing masks, while anyone carrying replica weapons risked up to a 45,000-euro ($50,362) fine and three years in jail. The prefecture did not respond to requests for comment.
The threat of fines didn’t faze Kreezy: “When it comes to individuals with bad intentions looking to destroy and smash things during demonstrations, [the fines are] a good thing. But now there’s no longer any distinction made between peaceful and violent protesters. I wouldn’t call it an attempt to stifle the movement, but rather an effort to control the public.” Knights Kraether and Honoré agree. “We understand that it may be legitimate for security reasons. However, we also believe it can become a tool of repression if it is applied too strictly or disproportionately. Security is important, but it should never serve as a pretext to prevent citizens from protesting peacefully and expressing their convictions.”
At the Oct. 31 protest in Paris, THR observed and photographed BaddyDeadpool with the police, and no one asked him to remove his mask. After the protest, he told us: “Nothing happened — the police acted smart. They don’t think I’m a bad guy, I guess.”
From left: Chili Chun Li and Kreezy (as Black Panther) at the Oct. 31 protest in Paris. Chili Chun Li Everyone THR spoke to credited the power of costumes as a storytelling mechanism. “If we can remind our peers in the film industry that an idea, a bit of audacity, and a lot of passion are enough to tell a story, then we’ve already accomplished something,” explain Knights Honoré and Kraether.
French students are officially back from fall break and already remobilizing by defying orders not to protest. Hundreds of students are marching daily and riot police are on the scene. France is bracing for a massive, nationwide strike on Thursday, Nov. 5, with major demonstrations planned in Paris, Montpellier, Lyon and Toulouse.
Asked whether Gandalf will return to the front line, Leibovici didn’t hesitate.
“Hell, of course I am,” he said.
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