Editorial

Beware danger!

This month I want to pay tribute to all those who are brave enough to walk to the UN. Honestly, you need to be brave to cross the Place des Nations, which has been turned into an obstacle course, on foot.
Even if you manage to dodge the tram, your life is threatened by a bus or by a wild car that has been circling the Place for ages but can’t get out of the trap. Trucks, earthmoving equipment and cranes are ready to assault you at any moment. The Place des Nations has become a lawless battlefield where the strong always win. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to put up a few signs around the Place to warn pedestrians that it is not safe for unaccompanied children, pregnant women and people aged over 68 with any type of disability.
What a spectacle! It is so impressive to see the city of Geneva build its pyramids or perhaps its new metro to link the Place des Nations to Place Clichy in Paris, Trafalgar Square in London and Fifth Avenue in New York.
As for the mythical “broken chair”, it has disappeared into thin air! Who stole it? One morning I saw a crane take it away swiftly, but since I’m an international civil servant, I’m not going to interfere in the host country’s affairs and will instead keep my mouth shut. However, not a day goes by without a tourist asking the guard at the entrance to the Palais the same question: Who stole the chair? When will it come back? Speculation is rife.
One question has been on my mind since the works started. I seem to recall that in 1998 the people of Geneva decided that the Place de Nations should not be refurbished! I may be wrong! Perhaps, due to my advancing years, my memory is no longer what it used to be, or perhaps I just misinterpreted the outcome of the referendum. It said: «Referendum against the refurbishment of the Place des Nations – Yes: 52.7%.».