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Protests and strikes continue to gather strength at one Disney Parks Resort, as police helicopters were seen flying overhead in the midst of the turmoil inside the parks.
Credit: Disney Parks/Canva
Guests who frequent Disney’s theme park resorts around the world will tell you that they’ve seen a lot of things inside the gates of their favorite Disney parks, and they aren’t only referring to the unveiling of the new TRON Lightcycle Run coaster at Magic Kingdom or the peculiar behavior exhibited by distraught fans of the Splash Mountain attraction at Disney World on its last day of operation (although some very strange things took place that day).
Many of the strange occurrences and behaviors Guests witness at Disney Parks aren’t cause for alarm and quickly resolve themselves–sometimes with Cast Member intervention and sometimes without it. But of late, Cast Members have been the reason behind some of the strange things Guests have witnessed at one Disney Parks Resort.
In recent days, Cast Members at Disneyland Paris, located 20 miles east of Paris, in Chessy, France, have been involved in a series of strikes, protests, and demonstrations at the park, demanding The Walt Disney Company provide them with better pay and better working conditions. On Tuesday, hundreds of Cast Members paraded through Frontierland at Disneyland Park inside the Parisian resort, holding banners and signs that read “The Magic Doesn’t Exist Without Us” and “Unhappy Cast Member: Stitch is Showing His Teeth.”
Credit: Disneyland Paris
In the online video clip below, Cast Members can be seen marching through Frontierland as they protest. These protests, which took place on Tuesday, are said to have been quieter than protests carried out last weekend.
The group of striking Cast Members marched through Frontierland a moment ago. Today’s demonstrations are quieter than last weekend. pic.twitter.com/Q50WZ6BFBX
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) June 6, 2023
Disneyland Paris isn’t unfamiliar with protests. In October 2021, Cast Member demonstrations began outside Disney’s Newport Bay Club Resort Hotel at the Parisian Disney Parks Resort as workers took a stand against low pay, less-than-desirable benefits, and poor working conditions. Then in November 2021, demonstrations disrupted park operations yet again, leading to the closure of a large Guest area inside the park.
The center of the hub is closed due to a demonstration by Cast Member union CGT: pic.twitter.com/h81PU7RnRG
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) November 9, 2021
In late October 2022, security was heightened at the Disney Resort as Guests protested the Parks Pass Reservation System implemented when the parks reopened following pandemic-induced closures. And in January 2023, strikes outside of the parks involving union workers threatened the operations of the two parks at the Disneyland Paris Resort. Strikes brought on by pension reform led to transportation nightmares as flights were canceled, and train traffic was severely impaired in major cities across France. The reform involved the push for the retirement age in the French nation to be delayed from age 62 to age 64. And–as expected–the change was met with massive pushback, especially from union workers who, understandably, didn’t relish the thought of 24 months more work before they were eligible to receive retirement benefits.
But overnight, the protests at Disneyland Paris appeared to take a more serious turn as police helicopters were seen hovering high above the parks. Some residents said the constant activity overhead kept them from getting to sleep.
Police helicopters have been circling Disneyland Paris and the surround area all night. Many local residents have reported they could barely sleep from the constant activity. (Video: @cristianguimera) pic.twitter.com/MDyIUNhI6V
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) June 7, 2023
As this story continues to develop, more information will be shared as it becomes available.
