The first terrace reserved for the richest 1% opens in Paris

You can sit there only if you are one of the wealthiest people in the world

Now that the Covid health pass has been established in France, social outings are beginning to return to normal. And if owners of the famous Parisian terraces are eager to regain customers, there is one establishment that is not as welcoming. In fact, it will decline to serve most people as it is reserved only for the richest people in the world.

Are you OK being outside of the elite club?

On Tuesday, 19 October, the first restaurant terrace reserved for the wealthiest people in the world opened in Paris. Upon requesting a table there, the prospective customer will be politely asked to prove his compliance with the rules, but instead of showing a COVID green pass, they will have to show…a tax sheet. Unless they can show proof of significant wealth, they are unlikely to be serviced by the otherwise kind server.

You might think that such an approach is totally incompatible with the hospitable image of Paris, the capital of the most visited country in the world. And you would be right: the action is nothing but a marketing campaign by Joga and Justement agencies, to attract public attention on global economic inequalities.

The campaign is for Oxfam, a global movement, fighting for tackling inequalities and– eradicating poverty. The essence of the campaign is to drive attention to a striking fact: the richest 1% of people hold as much as 50% of global wealth.

By setting up the campaign, Oxfam provokes indignation in society by making people feel what it means to be outside of the elite club and urges them to get involved. Moreover, they appeal for a higher taxation rate for those who own the most.

The campaign is accompanied by videos distributed on social media. The message: no one would accept it if 50% of the space is accessible to just 1% of us.

The first terrace reserved for the richest 1% opens in Paris. A hidden camera depicts the reactions of the public. Video by Oxfam

The Oxfam website further points out that every 1 in 10 people lives in extreme poverty, while almost half the world population lives on less than 5.5 dollars a day. Furthermore, according to their study, the richest 1000 people have recovered financially from the pandemic in just nine months, while for the poorest members of society this might take over 10 years.

“Solutions exist to fight against inequalities and poverty. With this campaign, we want to mobilize as many people as possible to ask political leaders to act to change the economic model, for a more equitable distribution of wealth. The grabbing of our wealth by the richest 1% must stop!” declares Oxfam on its website.