Thousands of people were left stranded over Christmas thanks to strikes in France – and I was one of them

As trains came to a standstill, the fragility of the veneer that separates civility from savagery quickly revealed itself

Protesters clash with police during a protest in Rennes, western France (AP)

The scene at Gare du Nord was out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, but with the tormented souls dragging knock-off wheeled luggage instead of chains pulling at their feet. It was Christmas Eve, amid one of the worst labour strikes to hit France in years. Rail transport unions enraged at Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to restructure the country’s pensions rejected his calls for a holiday truce to allow families to get to their loved ones.

So my plan to arrive at Charles De Gaulle airport and quickly make it for Christmas dinner with family at Porte d’Orleans, in the south of the capital, was thwarted. Google Maps showed a two-hour ride to Paris, and airport personnel were warning that the taxi line stretched for an hour outside the terminal.

With few other options, I squeezed onto one of the few running commuter trains to Gare du Nord, hoping to catch another train or metro or even an oxcart that might stop somewhere near my destination.