Camu o'r Cysgodion: Louise Weiss

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-On 17 July 1979...

-..the first directly-elected

-European parliament sat.

-An 86-year-old woman came forward

-to deliver the opening speech.

-She was the oldest MEP.

-She was a pro-European campaigner

-and fought for women's rights.

-Her name was Louise Weiss.

-The late 19th century was

-a turbulent time in French history.

-After the Franco-Prussian War,

-Germany had annexed Alsace.

-As natives of Alsace, Louise Weiss's

-family was very patriotic.

-They chose exile over being Germans.

-Louise was born in 1893

-in the city of Arras.

-She achieved good grades at school

-and longed for her father's praise.

-Unfortunately, her father thought

-a woman's place was in the home.

-This was a wealthy

-upper middle class family.

-It meant that Louise Weiss

-could afford to study.

-But to her father, one thing

-was wrong - she was a girl.

-At the time, women were considered

-to be inferior citizens.

-The only right they had

-was their social duty.

-Marrying and bearing children.

-They weren't expected to study.

-The Weiss family

-had lived in Paris since 1899.

-Louise had been a fine student.

-She studied at Lycee Moliere

-and won awards...

-..but had to hide them

-from her father.

-This was what she wrote.

-I was raised in a passionately

-secular atmosphere...

-..but the moral principles

-mirrored that of the Gospels.

-But my thirst for knowledge was such

-that it eased the fire of my youth.

-Her mother was aware

-of her daughter's talents.

-She encouraged her to succeed

-in her civil service exams...

-..and keep it from her father.

-In the summer of 1914, aged 21,

-Louise became the youngest person...

-..to earn France's highest

-educational diploma.

-On 1 August,

-the city bells rang out...

-..to signal the start

-of the First World War.

-Frenchmen were called to battle.

-As the German army drew closer,

-the people of northern France fled.

-Like thousands of others,

-the Weiss family fled from Paris...

-..to a house they owned

-in Saint-Quai-Potrieux, Brittany.

-As a civil servant...

-..Louise Weiss didn't want

-to carry on as a teacher...

-..so she resigned.

-She was eager to help refugees

-who were pouring into Brittany.

-This was the start of her work

-as a humanitarian campaigner.

-To understand the motives

-for the killing...

-..and hoping to find solutions

-to secure a peaceful future...

-..Louise returned to Paris.

-She started work as a journalist

-and attended conferences.

-At a conference, she met a Czech

-officer called Milan Stefanik.

-He was the man who showed Louise

-how to dedicate herself seriously...

-..to a cause about which she was

-passionate, and change situations.

-Stefanik was an advocate

-of free and independent states.

-Louise seized upon a dream of

-an Europe based on people's rights.

-In January 1918, Louise established

-a magazine called L'Europe Nouvelle.

-The New Europe.

-On 11 November 1918,

-the war came to an end.

-But the young journalist

-was betrayed by Milan Stefanik.

-He chose to play a part

-in the creation of Czechoslovakia...

-..alongside an Italian woman.

-Louise never saw him again.

-For Louise Weiss, it was

-the end of a glorious romance.

-Afterwards, she found it difficult

-to form another relationship.

-Heartbroken, Louise Weiss focused

-all her energy on her magazine...

-..and the fight to establish

-an European confederation.

-In 1919, she was present when

-the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

-But she disagreed with the way

-France belittled Germany...

-..and how victorious states

-oppressed the defeated states.

-Her magazine echoed her opinion

-that Europe couldn't move on...

-..without its people

-being reconciled.

-Weiss dreamt of a humanitarian

-and cultural Europe.

-An Europe of the people.

-For Louise Weiss, a stable Europe

-had to conquer xenophobia...

-..and required a supranational

-Parliament to change existing laws.

-Her magazine became a laboratory

-for new ideas and innovation.

-If only the politicians and leaders

-could understand and negotiate...

-..then a Parliament could become

-a genuine political option.

-The desire for peace

-had to be promoted.

-The elite had to be educated

-about that desire.

-Louise Weiss was a supporter

-of the League of Nations...

-..which favoured talks

-over waging war.

-She became friends

-with Aristide Briand...

-..who led

-Franco-German reconciliation.

-They both believed

-that nationalism led to war.

-Aristide Briand was called

-an apostle of peace.

-His ideas appealed to others

-and suited Louise Weiss.

-He knew that she could

-ensure good publicity.

-Louise Weiss knew

-that she had to educate people.

-Near the Ministry

-of Foreign Affairs...

-..she established

-the College of Peace.

-She hoped it would influence

-the leaders of the future...

-..and persuade them

-to be unconditional pacifists.

-We want to know

-why wars occur, and when...

-..and under what conditions.

-If we understood this, maybe

-we can learn how to prevent wars.

-30 January 1933.

-To everyone's surprise,

-Hitler came to power...

-..and shattered

-the European dream.

-In France,

-Aristide Briand's hopes were dashed.

-There was now no hope of peace.

-War loomed on the horizon,

-and Louise Weiss faced a choice.

-If her magazine carried on...

-..it could have become a voice

-for Nazis and Fascists.

-Louise Weiss

-didn't consider that a choice.

-She preferred to give it up.

-The title of her final editorial,

-on 3 February 1934, was...

-..."We will never

-make a pact with Hitler."

-Then she left, her dream of a united

-and peaceful Europe in pieces.

-In the 1930s, France suffered

-a deep economic recession.

-Unemployment was high,

-and living conditions had plummeted.

-The country was on its knees.

-Women remained without a voice.

-Fighting for women's rights

-at that time would seem crazy.

-But Louise Weiss began her new

-campaign, in the name of justice.

-Aged 40,

-independent and childless...

-..she threw all her energy

-into the fight for women's suffrage.

-Political equality

-between men and women.

-She wanted to be politically active,

-but found she couldn't do much...

-..because women

-didn't have the right to vote.

-Maybe she campaigned for women's

-suffrage out of necessity.

-But male politicians weren't ready

-to change the electoral system.

-Their answers to the calls

-from feminists were definite...

-..but also shameful.

-They gave the impression...

-..women were stupid and incapable

-and would cause chaos.

-They created caricatures of women

-who dared to insist on their rights.

-In 1934, to support

-her commitment to feminism...

-..Louise Weiss established

-La Femme Nouvelle, the new woman...

-..a centre to publicize

-women's suffrage.

-The journalist

-who fought in the shadows...

-..was about to emerge

-into the light.

-Women the world over

-have the right to vote...

-..except in Bulgaria, Yugoslavia,

-Switzerland and France.

-How can such a situation continue?

-She proposed female candidates

-in some elections...

-..even though the system

-didn't support them.

-She also encouraged women

-in Paris to vote.

-In 1935, she decided to stand

-in Paris's civic elections...

-..even though this was illegal.

-She set up her HQ in a cafe

-that was usually frequented by men.

-Equality between the sexes had

-become more important than ever...

-..especially political equality.

-Securing the vote would enable women

-to introduce measures...

-..to allow them take their rightful

-place in the economic hierarchy.

-On election day, accomplished orator

-Weiss set up stalls on streets...

-..to encourage women to vote.

-Her efforts were met

-with a savage reaction.

-There was a lot of facetiousness,

-and much press attention.

-Louise Weiss

-wasn't afraid of the journalists.

-The attention actually suited her.

-The police decided that she was

-a public nuisance, and stopped her.

-She responded by trying to persuade

-her fellow pacifists.

-There was no better persuader

-than Louise Weiss.

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-In 1936, equality was on the agenda

-of the Popular Front party.

-Three women were appointed

-to posts in government.

-But politicians refused calls

-for a universal vote.

-The left believed

-that giving women the vote...

-..would be like

-giving the vote to priests.

-The right feared...

-..that women would fall into

-the clutches of the trades unions.

-Louise Weiss viewed the left and

-right's opposition as hypocritical.

-She was angry, and couldn't fathom

-her fellow campaigners' silence.

-Why wouldn't they rebel?

-These workers who were paid less

-than men doing the same jobs.

-These shop owners

-who couldn't litigate...

-..without their husbands'

-permission?

-These mothers who had no authority

-over their children?

-All these women who were wronged

-but still paid their taxes.

-For Louise Weiss,

-it was a constant battle.

-She increased her activities.

-She and a handful of campaigners

-occupied Longchamp racecourse...

-..before the Grand Prix race.

-She wanted to bring the campaign

-for women's suffrage to the fore.

-In July, she organized a big protest

-at the Place de la Bastille.

-Feminists burnt chains in front

-of the memorial to people's freedom.

-All the protests were non-violent,

-dignified and enlightened.

-After the government

-refused to give women the vote...

-..Louise Weiss

-took the matter to the Senate.

-The senators used to go to brothels

-after their meetings.

-The feminists jumped into vehicles

-reserved for the senators...

-..and chastised them.

-"You know you are at fault."

-One senator complained

-during a Senate speech.

-"These women are terrifying,

-they disturb us all very much."

-For the male politicians...

-..these women were transgressing

-in the worst possible way.

-Louise Weiss

-was a tireless campaigner...

-..but history impeded her.

-War broke out after Hitler

-attacked Austria in 1938...

-..then destroyed Czechoslovakia.

-When fighting started, she felt

-that she had failed in every field.

-Europe, peace and women's rights

-had all gone up in smoke.

-When the Germans

-reached Paris in 1940...

-..Louise Weiss

-had to consider her own safety.

-Her mother was Jewish.

-Her name was on a list of people

-to be arrested and exiled.

-Her flat and her property

-was to be seized by the government.

-Consequently, Louise Weiss

-needed anonymity and false papers.

-Was this to oppose the regime

-or in order to disappear?

-It remains a mystery.

-In her autobiography, she states...

-..that she founded a resistance

-magazine called The New Republic.

-This must have been a risk for her.

-She was both Jewish and well-known.

-She claims to have found a network

-to publish her secret magazine...

-..but there is no evidence of this.

-This murky period in her life

-would be an obstacle to her forever.

-It seems that Louise Weiss lost

-her place in history at that time.

-In 1944, she witnessed victory...

-..in a cause

-for which she had long battled.

-On 21 April in Algiers, foreseeing

-the French democracy's future...

-..General De Gaulle announced that

-women would be allowed to vote.

-They did so for the first time

-in the 1945 elections.

-With no cause to fight for,

-it was time for a new campaign.

-Louise Weiss

-felt a need to be acknowledged.

-Maybe, after WW2, she would find

-a field where that would happen.

-Weiss liked to travel.

-As a journalist, she liked

-to describe the world to people.

-She turned to film-making.

-To do that,

-she had to choose a director.

-She arranged interviews

-for someone to operate the camera.

-Unexpectedly,

-she chose Georges Bourdelon...

-..who would work with her

-for over 20 years.

-Georges was only 23

-when he attended the interview.

-At the end of the interview,

-she said...

-.."I expect you in Beirut

-in a week's time."

-Louise Weiss travelled the world...

-..from India to Japan,

-from Madagascar to Alaska...

-..via Djibouti,

-China and even Zanzibar.

-Distance or difficult filming

-conditions, nothing would stop her.

-She was an instinctive adventurer.

-Georges was always amazed

-by this woman's resilience.

-She had an incredible capacity

-to persevere.

-Due to her journalistic

-background...

-..she had a wide network

-of connections.

-As a diplomat, doors opened for her.

-She successfully filmed

-where few had previously done so.

-One of Georges's favourite scenes

-was an Indian choura ceremony.

-Usually, self-flagellation

-at a choura is very private...

-..but the local imam

-gave Louise permission to film.

-Her only remaining campaign...

-..was the idea

-that clashes could be avoided...

-..if we became more familiar

-with other people and cultures.

-We can't stimulate general peace

-through anthropomorphic religions.

-Mankind in the future...

-..will need a changed relationship

-with the divine.

-But her films didn't attract

-the audience she desired.

-Around then, in Paris, she began

-to write novels, plays and essays.

-She tirelessly sought her place

-in history through her literature.

-She wanted to share her story,

-either via fiction or memoirs.

-This was also a tribute

-to her political ambitions.

-But despite her perseverance,

-her publications and awards...

-..Louise Weiss' literature

-wasn't the success that she craved.

-Once again, this was her fate.

-But history was kinder

-in her battle for Europe.

-In 1979, the first European

-Parliament elections were held.

-They put her in the spotlight.

-Jacques Chirac, the Paris mayor,

-was seeking credible candidates...

-..to change his party's

-nationalist image.

-Jacques Chirac had a problem

-with the 1979 European elections.

-He opposed direct votes

-for the European Parliament...

-..and he only had a handful

-of female candidates on his list.

-Chirac invited Louise Weiss

-to be a candidate on the list...

-..that would build the new Europe.

-It would silence

-those who claimed that his list...

-..was populated by opponents

-of a united Europe.

-Louise Weiss would underline their

-support for the European dream.

-But his strategy

-inspired a scheme by Weiss.

-She insisted

-on being fifth on his list...

-..in order to be present

-during the vote.

-She knew that she would be elected

-a member of the European Parliament.

-The first one

-to be directly elected.

-Furthermore, she was 86

-at the time of the election...

-..she knew she'd be the oldest MEP

-and would make the opening speech.

-Louise Weiss was spot on.

-She was elected a Member

-of the European Parliament.

-For the lifelong campaigner

-for a united Europe...

-..delivering the opening speech

-was the greatest honour of her life.

-She took great care

-when writing the speech.

-As usual, Louise

-took the matter seriously.

-She rehearsed her speech

-in front of a film director friend.

-After a light breakfast

-at her home, she said...

-.."I'm going to read my opening

-speech for the European Parliament."

-I felt she was about to cry

-because she spoke as actors do...

-..when they convey

-a great depth of feeling.

-Even though she was emotional,

-she was also very restrained.

-17 July 1979.

-As a journalist, author

-and film producer...

-..neither my ink nor my images

-ever betrayed my faith.

-At this moment, it doesn't feel

-that I have spent this century...

-..or travelled the world

-in order to attend this meeting.

-She really enjoyed the experience.

-It was the realization

-of a childhood dream...

-..but at the end of her life.

-Louise Weiss remained an MEP

-until her death in 1983...

-..when she was over 90 years old.

-Europe, this idealistic

-20th century idea...

-..had become reality.

-Even so, few in Brussels

-now remember this woman...

-..who campaigned so hard

-for her dream.

-Not by admiring our forefathers

-should we choose our actions.

-Nothing should diminish

-our vision of the future.

-We should avoid being

-classical versions of ourselves.

-History moves forward.

-What was impossible yesterday

-becomes possible tomorrow.

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