Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be part of a large-scale demonstration or a student movement? Well, I got a flavour of it on Saturday 14 September. I wasn’t on a strike to agonize about the lack of universal suffrage or about bankers’ bonuses. Rather, I participated in the Techno Parade and took to the streets of Paris with hundreds of thousands other young people.

Reports of the same event last year reveal an astonishing turnout of 300,000 people. To say that the parade was a lively event would be an understatement. Whilst these giant trucks (see picture) blasted out variations of techno music, we danced to the beat and marched all the way from Place de la Republique to Place d’Italie, crossing the River Seine along the way.

It was fascinating to see the event progress from a cheery, civilised gathering to a state of anarchy…