Anti-vandals under Paris

November 27, 2007

It looks like the Paris underground is at it again. I first read about this a few years ago, when a cinema/restaurant was unveiled underneath Paris, apparently setup without anyone knowing what was going on. Now, it seems that the same, or similar, group has been able to break into the Pantheon in 2005 and repair the clock there over the course of a year without drawing the attention of security.

Reading about the ‘anti-vandals’ or ‘cultural guerrillas’, referred to in articles as Untergunther, a sub-group of the larger UX organisation, is fascinating. They seem highly organised, but appear to have fairly benevolent intentions to restore Paris’ cultural sites, such as the catacombs and crypts under the city. The motivation behind it all is a frustration with the French government and despair at the degradation of cultural sites.

While on the surface it can seem that the group poses a security risk, it is very hard to argue with the intentions and not surprising to learn that the charges against them were dropped. I can’t wait to read more stories of their exploits

via BoingBoing

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