Wednesday 7 March 2018

 The Eurostar St.Pancras Public Relations Disaster.
 My face, the only one I have...

I thought my troubles were over. I was struggling beyond exhaustion and debility, after attending to a domestic crisis at the London home of a family member. Concurrent to that stressful occasion, I renewed my passport and attempted to register with a doctor, I need a physiotherapist. I will leave the latter task for another time. The family matter took precedent. I am a countryman not accustomed to the toxic atmosphere of the city. My place of permanent residence is Le Breil, Campel 35330.  
I could barely drag my bags around. My back was in collapse. It's hard to keep the sound of one's suffering in sometimes. I tend to sound exactly how I feel. I am English, it's not just a much abused language. 
 Eurostar enables me to access my people on both sides of the water, London to Rennes only six hours. I needed to get home in short order, my lungs had become seriously congested I felt I was being poisoned. Reduced to incapacity for any major activity , I opted to get back to my healthier rural environment. 
My son ordered, booked and paid for the cheapest single ticket available, online.  A week to wait for my journey. Meanwhile I concentrated on decongesting my lungs. Hard to find herbs in London. I remembered "Infinity Foods", from the days of their early beginning in Brighton. White Horehound and Meadowseet.
The French may know them as "Marube blanc" and "Reine des prés". You can find Infinity Foods around Stoke Newington, worthy firm they are. A most miserable grumbling giffer ,hacking up gritty green frogs near passing out from the nightly oxygen starved gas filled London air. The bitter herb did it's magical stuff. As the week passed breathing was becoming easier. Little strength in my body,stamina at an all time low, the day of my departure arrived.
I didn't get much sleep prior to leaving Hackney, for fear of missing my train. I arrived at St. Pancras International at 04.00, in plenty of time. My son did the honours and brought me my ticket.An extremely cold morning. Hardly a soul to be seen, neither workers nor potential passengers. I was the first one there.
Son and I moved to the entrance of the Eurostar control gates, placing myself at what was to be the front of the queue.
The area soon filled up,passengers herded together in a semblance of an orderly line. The staff arrived we were ready to go. I said my goodbyes to my son. The stewardess ushered the  queue to proceed.
The liveried guide approached me directly and raised her hand in front of my face , indicating that I alone should go no further. The rest of the passengers were waved through the ticket barriers.On asking "Why", the reply was,"only people with tickets are allowed to enter the Eurostar train.  My voice was immediately heard in objection to the prejudiced action. Little evidence of any tickets visible in the crowd they as I kept the ticket firmly secure until needed. This was a humiliation insulting by implication, that I had not expected. There was no explanation just an "oops... Sorry" and  I was allowed through. An honest mistake(?), I gave the staff member the benefit of the doubt. proceeding through the control. 
In the waiting area I was still agitated, not a little angry.
I made small talk with a couple of passengers. Trivial stuff. I am naturally gregarious and sociable. not sounding quite as smooth as usual from a week of incessant coughing left my larynx quite raw.  "Take me how you find me, content over style" sez I.   There was nothing in the content of my conversation that appeared to cause concern to anyone. The Grand Solar Minimum, the weather, rising prices and the global food crop failure being the subjects upon which I touched. Matters of public information , there really is a global crisis hardly alluded to through the popular media channels.
One does ones best as ever to share important news.Hardly to be considered an antisocial or an obnoxious act. We were encouraged to be brave enough to talk with strangers in the days of my Grammar school education. I had no notion that I was taking a risk.
There was no indication that anyone within close proximity of my person had taken exception to my behaviour.
Settling into my seat, grateful for the warmth and comfort I witnessed a gentleman working on his laptop computer. The man from the Indian sub continent I believe, was bedevilled by a persistent hacking cough.  Having spent the previous week enduring a similar condition, I was naturally sympathetic.I offered the man a lozenge, a "Fisherman's friend", my contact reminded him that he actually had some of his own, he was smiling, untroubled by my offering.Benign social interaction ended there. A man approached me demanding that I give him my ticket and passport.  There was no rational reason why I would have been singled out, I am a sober man not taken to alcohol as a rule my memory is remarkably clear as regards all matters of detail. It is not my habit either of indulging in crude vulgar or profane language.
I asked the man who claimed to be the manager of the station, what the problem was. He said that someone had complained. Of what I had no idea, nor had I any clue as to whom the anonymous someone may be.Something didn't smell right with the man's attitude. He demanded that I follow him and leave the train , I was reluctant to do so without adequate explanation, I was naturally and not unreasonably irate having  been targeted only a half hour before without any moral or legal cause. I wanted to go home  I thought I was on my way. I admit my voice did not sound pleasant in vocal objection to being treated so unjustly. I was being subjected to an illegitimate action. I repeated my impassioned plea for the man's justification.  Laryngitis doesn't feel nor sound pleasant at the best of times.It was an effort to converse. I was under pressure, the mans face was within a foot of mine, that's 30cm.Too close. My raucus sound he interpreted as shouting. I most certainly was not. It is hard enough to speak clearly with inflamed larynx. The man was decidedly trying to wind me up, "You are shouting, you are shouting..." Speaking clearly as I could as I explained to him in the only voice available to me. He walked out with my ticket and passport I had cooperatively handed to him.   He said he was calling the police. I stood to collect my baggage and was escorted of the train by railway staff. 
This was all too much to bear. On leaving the coach I was met By three transport police. The manager was present. I asked for his name , he quickly flashed his I.D. close to my eyes Too quickly to read even if I had my reading glasses on. I ask again he refused to divulge. When I was insistent that he explain the nature of complaint, he mumbled something about "Sterilisation" someone he claims had overheard me. He could not identify the complainant. I suspect there truly was none. I further suspect that I had been the target of the managers own unnatural prejudice. Two or three yards along the platform I collapsed on the station floor. I didn't need the unconscionable treatment.  Whether corporate policy or the man's own self indulgent powerplay, by default or design. It was wrong.
The manager told me he was cancelling my ticket.  I could only imagine the concern of my wife Anne-Sophie who would be waiting for me in Rennes station with the car, to drive me home to our little chaumiere.  I was completely without funds there was no way I could make contact. Ticketless now, stranded I was desolate.  The police continually hustled me to stand, I insisted that my collapse was not a voluntary action.I would stand when sufficiently recovered. My reserve stamina was at an extremely low ebb. The train left the station . Surrounded as I was by three officers standing too closely to my seated face all refusing to at least stand back or to  at least squat down to my level as the light was behind their heads and I was being blinded. I have photo sensitive eyes. The Police did not relinquish their intimidating pose. "In Control and in Public View" The departing passengers for Paris Nord were no doubt treated for their delight and total security to the well managed circus display of how Eurostar will keep the riff raff out.
The police told me they were merely there to escort me out of the Eurostar complex at the request of the manager. They told me they were not detaining me. I have to admit I was feeling a bit detained. I wasn't speeding headlong to Paris Nord. There was no indication of any charge being brought against me. To this day I can see no rational reason for the managers action against me.
A vague unspecific allegation by an anonymous third party who reported overhearing part of a conversation. Presumably my appearance would be rated by some stereo type criteria,an important factor perhaps in confirming the manager's own personal bias. One wonders just what my deshevelled appearance would mean to the corporation also. What kind of nastiness do they imagine I might get up to. I was absolutely dog tired and would likely have slept all journey long had I been left alone. I have been sorely treated, subjected to summary justice without cause.
My passage was not secure in spite of my ticket qualification and clearance through security and passport checks. The greatest threat to the tranquility of my journey was the manager himself. I do not regard the first obstruction as mere coincidence. The combination of the two incidents imply they were orchestrated and I was deliberately targeted. I want to know why. No rational or reasonable explanation has been offered. Was this an example of Eurostar in house policy or the device of an independent initiative by the manager himself? There must be some adequate record of account. There is need also a need for a compensative action.
 I was to spend the day stranded in that cold place without the means to contact my people nor resources to renew my journey, without money . A dire emergency beyond my immediate wit to resolve. I am not of the disposition to willingly ask strangers for help. These were extenuating circumstances. I trusted to my aid a woman police officer who responded to my signal for assistance from a considerable distance across the busy station. We sat together, I related my problem, I was distraught. 
Police woman 0502 pledged her assistance to do her best to investigate and try to resolve matters. Concerned for my welfare she bought me a coffee and a sandwich, a good excuse at least for me to keep warm in Costa's Café. I was grateful. 
Rested in a little comfort.
The officer bade me be patient she would return. The story doesn't end here.  The police officer's help was invaluable,in someways most mysterious to me, I will finish the tale in a future posting after consultation with the police officer as I do not wish to jeopardise or compromise her standing in her work. Assuredly there will be more.
To be continued;

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