“Les Fédés wasn’t just for drinking…”

[Characters] – Léon, silk moustache, former canut, connoisseur of Lyonnais history. – Gaston, his lifelong pal, more into wine than archives, but an amazing memory. LÉON : Look at that, Gaston. Another herd of Parigots who think that this is just a place to eat fat. GASTON: And they don’t even know that “Les Fédérations” wasn’t a soccer team. It was more subversive than an SNCF strike! LÉON: Oh yeah! In the old days, before we were allowed to associate like grown-ups, we’d better keep our mouths shut. Under Napoleon the Younger – the other tinpot emperor – a meeting of 4 men was already a plot. GASTON: You know, in 1865, my uncle was arrested just for singing “La Marseillaise” at a banquet. I heard it was too “republican”. LÉON : Well, yeah. And the “federations” in Lyon were our clubs. Groups of workers, weavers, republicans… but you had to keep it quiet. You didn’t sign a membership form, you just winked and went in through the back door. GASTON: And not just to discuss politics, eh! We helped each other out: a sick kid, a widow to support, a colleague out of work… Those Fédés were real families. LÉON: But be careful, there’s no question of putting that on a plaque. Before the law of 1901, we weren’t allowed to associate. You had to wait for Waldeck-Rousseau – a clever fellow. Thanks to him, you no longer had to whisper in the traboules to organize a ball or a mutual. GASTON: And bang, the day it became legal, the local bistro – here, same place – kept the name. As a discreet tribute to all those who, before us, resisted with their quenelles and their convictions. LÉON: You bet. Here, we may not have brought down governments, but we sure shook them up with raised glasses. The federations were the art of playing politics with a towel around your neck. GASTON: And a brioche sausage on your plate! LÉON: Yeah. And there’s no article in the Civil Code to explain what that means. You have to have lived it. [They toast, their eyes on the past, their hearts still full of camaraderie]