Le mystère est résolu.
One story of local interest that caught my attention last week was the discovery of fake plaques all around Paris. Here in the city it’s common for the city to mark the location where a famous person lived or particular event of historical significance happened. Well, someone decided to pull a rather ingenious prank by placing fake signs across the city commemorating things like:
On April 17, 1967, nothing happened here.
This plaque was put up on December 19, 1953.
Karima Bentiffa, civil servant, lived here from 1984 to 1989.
Well, the mystery of the perpetrators was solved yesterday when two artists claimed responsibility for putting the plaques up over the past 16 months.
The quote that really struck me was from Claire de Clermont-Tonnerre, the
city councilwoman who pressed for an investigation. She thought that the fake plaques would detract from the legitimate ones, but she herself confessed they were humorous “but only for about five minutes.”
At least I, personally, am taking time now to read every plaque I see - either to catch a joke or to discover a little of the city’s history. Congrats to the artists!