Tag Archives: Love Locks

Nouvelles/News

A Personal Message From No Love Locks

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Dear followers,

It is with great sadness that No Love Locks announces the passing of co-founder Lisa Taylor Huff, after a battle with cancer. Lisa loved Paris passionately, and remained active in the fight to save its heritage throughout her own personal fight. “I would rather fight for something, then against,” she said. Lisa came to Paris in 2006, and in 2013, attained dual US/France citizenship. She is survived by her husband and her step-children, as well as her family in the States.

Lisa TH on TV2Lisa campaigned tirelessly for the preservation of the heritage of Paris. In her own words: “I have been passionate about our cause since the beginning, when Lisa Anselmo and I first began discussing our mutual distress over the deplorable condition of some of the bridges in central Paris, most notably the Pont des Arts and the Pont de l’Archevêché. I have had a deep personal connection to the Pont des Arts for many years, dating back to my first visit to Paris in the 1990s and leading up to the first Valentine’s Day I spent with my husband, when we took a picnic on the bridge in February 2008.”

Lisa spoke and wrote extensively about the plight of the fragile heritage sites in the city, and was interviewed internationally on the subject. But she was more than the co-founder of No Love Locks. Lisa was a writer, blogger and life coach, helping people to achieve their dreams. Her generous spirit, kindness, and passion touched the lives of many—from her closest friends and family, to the thousands of people who read her blog. You can discover her inspiring words here.

"Les Deux Lisas" ("The Two Lisas"), Montmartre, 2013
“Les Deux Lisas” (“The Two Lisas”), Montmartre, 2012

On a personal note, I’ve known Lisa since I was 16, and have lost a great friend, someone who was like a sister to me, and will miss her every day. We began No Love Locks together because we wanted to do something to help preserve the beauty and history of the city we loved. We were both surprised by the attention, support and success No Love Locks has achieved, and happily, Lisa was able to witness and celebrate the removal of the locks from her beloved Pont des Arts.

But the fight is not over. There are still many other bridges and sites around Paris endangered by “love locks,” and only when the city creates a ban on this practice will the authorities have the power to finally end this form of vandalism, and the heritage sites of Paris can be restored and preserved for future generations.

Help No Love Locks in Our Continued Fight
No Love Locks will not cease until there is a ban in place, but I will need your help to achieve this. In the coming months, I will be posting on Facebook ways you can help, either by donating your time and special skills, or by supporting or helping to organize events in the city. No Love Locks cannot succeed without you, because without my co-founder, I am only one person. But with you, No Love Locks will be nearly 100,000 strong.

Thank you for your continued support of the efforts of my late co-founder and myself, as we fight to preserve the beauty and history of Paris.

Warmest regards,
Lisa Anselmo
Co-founder, No Love Locks

Press requests: nolovelocks@gmail.com

Nouvelles/News

Un message personnel de No Love Locks

Chers supporters,

C’est avec une infinie tristesse que No Love Locks annonce le décès de notre co-fondatrice Lisa Taylor Huff, suite à sa bataille contre le cancer. Lisa aimait passionnément Paris et est restée active dans le combat pour en sauver le patrimoine tout au long de son propres combat personnel. Elle disait : “Je ne veux pas lutter contre ; je veux lutter pour”. Lisa est arrivée à Paris en 2006 et a obtenu la double nationalité française et américaine en 2013. Son mari et ses beaux-enfants en France ainsi que sa famille aux USA lui survit, sa mère, sa sœur, son beau-frère et leurs enfants.

Lisa TH on TV2Lisa a fait assidûment campagne pour la préservation du patrimoine parisien. Avec ses propres mots :” J’ai été passionnée par notre cause depuis le début, quand Lisa Anselmo et moi avons commencé à parler de notre désarroi mutuel devant la condition déplorable de certains ponts au centre de Paris, principalement le Pont des Arts et le pont de l’Archevêché. J’ai toujours eu une relation personnelle profonde avec le Pont des Arts, depuis ma première visite à Paris dans les années 90, jusqu’à la première Saint-Valentin passée avec mon futur mari, lorsque nous avons pique-niqué sur ce pont en février 2008″.

Lisa a écrit et parlé à de nombreuses reprises de la plaie qui touche les sites fragiles du patrimoine à Paris, et elle a souvent été interviewée dans de nombreux médias français et internationaux à ce sujet. Mais elle était bien plus que la co-fondatrice de No Love Locks, Lisa était une écrivaine, une blogueuse, une coach reconnue aidant les gens à réaliser leurs rêves. Son esprit généreux, sa gentillesse et sa passion ont influencé les vies de beaucoup de personnes – depuis sa famille et ses amis proches aux milliers de personnes qui lisaient son blog. Vous pouvez découvrir ses mots inspirants sur son blog (ici).

“Les Deux Lisas” (“The Two Lisas”), Montmartre, 2012

Sur le plan personnel, je connaissais Lisa depuis l’âge de 16 ans et j’ai perdu une grande amie, comme une sœur pour moi et elle me manque chaque jour. Nous avons démarré No Love Locks ensemble parle que nous voulions faire quelque chose pour aider à préserver la beauté et l’histoire de la ville que nous aimions. Nous avons été toutes les deux surprises de l’attention portée à No Love Locks, du soutien reçu et du succès obtenu. Heureusement, Lisa a pu célébrer et assister à l’enlèvement total des cadenas sur le Pont des arts qu’elle aimait.

Mais le combat n’est pas terminé. Il y a beaucoup d’autres ponts et sites dans Paris mis en danger par les “cadenas d’amour”. C’est seulement lorsque la Ville interdira formellement cette pratique que les autorités auront le pouvoir de mettre fin à cette sorte de vandalisme, et que les sites du patrimoine parisien pourront être remis en état et préservés pour les générations futures.

La Lutte Continue…
No Love Locks ne cessera pas son combat jusqu’à cette interdiction, mais j’aurai besoin de votre aide pour y arriver. Durant les prochains mois, je publierai sur Facebook des solutions pour que vous nous aidiez, en donnant de votre temps, en fournissant votre expertise, ou en aidant à organiser des événements dans la Ville. No Love Locks ne peut réussir sans vous, parce que sans ma co-fondatrice, je suis seule. Mais avec vous, No Love Locks représente 100 000 personnes.

Merci pour le soutien permanent que vous nous apportez, à ma co-fondatrice disparue et à moi, dans ce combat pour la préservation de la beauté et de l’histoire de Paris.

Chaleureusement,
Lisa Anselmo
Co-fondatrice de No Love Locks

La presse, SVP contactez : nolovelocks@gmail.com

City Hall & the Locks, Positive Progress

Paris City Hall Takes a Stand: NO MORE LOVE LOCKS

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Yesterday, on the Pont de l’Archevêché in the 5th arrondissement, Paris City Hall held a press conference to officially announce their anti-“love lock” campaign. Vanessa Panetto, head of communications for the city spoke to some 20-odd journalists about the plan for addressing the “love locks” problem plaguing Paris.

Panetto began her statement with the issues of weight and safety, citing the potential dangers of collapse, a very real threat that has clearly pressed them into action, finally. According to Panetto, the #lovewithoutlocks selfie campaign, which launched this past Monday, is just the first step in what appears to be a speak-softly-but-carry-a-big-stick plan. “We’re testing a more conciliatory approach first,” Panetto told the press, “but if it does not work, a ban could be the solution.”

This was the first time City Hall publicly threatened a ban on “love locks,” though when asked by journalists present, Panetto would not commit to a date when a ban might be imposed. Meanwhile, after three months of heavy tourist traffic, the Pont des Arts has nearly 20 panels in some state of collapse, many covered by plywood boards or construction barriers.

stickerIn addition to the selfie campaign, the city of Paris has placed 23 large stickers on the Pont des Arts and Pont de l’Archevêché urging love-lockers in French, English and Spanish: Our Bridges Can No Longer Withstand Your Gestures of Love. NO MORE LOVE LOCKS!

It remains to be seen if tourists will heed the new campaign, especially since they have not been dissuaded by the obvious signs of damage the locks have caused. But it is encouraging to see City Hall finally taking a stand. In the end, though, they may have to take out that big stick—in the form of an outright ban on “love locks”—before Paris loses some of its most cherished landmarks.

The Pont des Arts after 3 months of heavy tourist traffic.
The Pont des Arts after 3 months of heavy tourist traffic. Tourists hang locks, unfazed.
Positive Progress, Take a Stand

Paris to Lovers: Love Without Locks

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On Monday, August 11th, Paris City Hall launched a campaign targeted at padlock-crazy lovers. The message: “Our Bridges Can No Longer Withstand Your Gestures of Love.” The idea: take a selfie instead, and share it with #LoveWithoutLocks. Your image will appear on a special website alongside other enlightened lovers who choose not to vandalize the city’s most cherished heritage sites.

What's left of the Pont des Arts. A lamp missing, brought down by the weight of locks.
What’s left of the Pont des Arts. A lamp missing, brought down by the weight of locks. After the heavy tourist season, Paris’s bridges are deeply in danger.

This is an important first step in the fight against the padlocks now endangering two of the most important bridges in Paris, and spreading to 11 others along the Seine. It’s an effort to educate people and change their point of view.

In Paris, some critics of the campaign call it “soft” and “ineffective.” And indeed, three months into the heavy tourist season here—the Pont des Arts now with over 15 collapsing panels—one wonders how this selfie initiative will even make a dent in the problem. Still, we hope #LoveWithoutLocks is the beginning of an aggressive campaign against “love locks” and that Mayor Hidalgo will now take a stronger stance on protecting the UNESCO World Heritage site along the Seine. In the meantime, we will continue to push for a ban on “love locks,” as it seems the only way to end this practice once and for all.

Help us, along with Paris City Hall, to promote this lock-free expression of love. Share the hashtag LoveWithoutLocks and the official website, lovewithoutlocks.paris.fr.

Sign our petition to ban “love locks.”

Is it Love?

The City of Locks?

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One of our supporters lamented on our Facebook page that she was afraid Paris would become known as the City of Locks. As the influx of “love lockers” increases daily, you have to wonder if her fears could be justified.

The City of Light Locks

It would be plenty ironic if that were to come to pass, since France’s national holiday celebrates the storming of the Bastille—a prison. Liberté, or liberty, is the first word in the country’s motto—Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité—and it is emblazoned on many public buildings around Paris. Liberty is really important to the French, who lived under kings and dictators for far too many centuries.

“Love is not a cage!” raged Parisian Fabien T., when asked about “love locks.” “It’s not a prison! This symbol is terrible for love!”

“Love should be free,” agreed Yann L. “It’s wrong to try to lock someone to you. That’s possession. Love cannot grow that way.”

Agnès C. Poirier talked about the French philosophy of love in her op-ed about “love locks” in the New York Times (“An Affront to Love, French-Style,” 18 August 2012). “To love truly is to want the other free…Love is not about possession or property. Love is no prison where two people are each other’s slaves.” She writes of French philosopher Alain Badiou’s book, In Praise of Love, in which he tells us risk is a part of love. “There is no safe, everlasting love,” Poirier writes. “The idea that you can lock two people’s love once and for all, and toss the key, is a puerile fantasy.”

While Paris is known as the City of Love throughout the world, its other moniker, the City of Light—a place of enlightenment—is even more highly prized by the locals. Intellect, education and philosophy reign supreme, and love as a concept is deeply intellectualized, dissected, discussed at length over drinks at the café. Ask most Parisians how they feel about “love locks” and you’ll hear words like “barbaric” and “oppressive,” but even more frequently, “unenlightened.” As a symbol of love, a lock is an epic fail for Parisians: it neither illustrates the free expression of passion, nor matches up to the lofty ideal of l’amour. In other words: it’s just plain wrong.

And now, this affront to the Parisian way of thinking is installed on nearly every bridge on their home turf, flying in the face of everything they hold dear: not just the historic bridges they cherish, but the very idea of what love means.

There’s a reason diplomats spend a good deal of time researching local customs and beliefs before they visit a foreign country. One misstep could start a war. Now there are over 700,000 missteps invading Paris’s bridges, and one could argue that’s a huge declaration of war on a city where each lock is a tiny missal aimed at the heart of their culture, their heritage and their beliefs.
—Lisa Anselmo

Read more about what Parisians are saying about the locks taking over their city.