Civil war on the Pari-Roller?

This copy kindly translated by Donald Hounam

Note from Mike:  You may be interested that I've forwarded details of this letter to Pari-Roller and to Boris's email, but have received no reply.

On January 17, 2003, Nounours (Sylvain Barthes) received confirmation that he had been expelled from the Pari-Roller association. That evening, he distributed this document to marshals attending the Friday night skate.

Greetings to all marshals

For almost five years, unpaid and unselfishly, I have done my best as a marshal and as a member of the Administrative Council. For this, I have been expelled from the association by Boris and the Pari-Roller board.

To assume - as you might - that some difference of opinion has persuaded the board to kick me out would be premature, for there has been no official discussion of the issues. Can you believe that someone could be expelled with so little justification?

There are certain things you should know. For a long time I have been concerned about the management of the association and the increasingly questionable decisions taken by the board. For some months I have sought access to the association's accounts (as any member has the right to do). After repeated refusals (for both the 2001 and 2002 accounts), I finally wrote to the president of Pari-Roller by recorded delivery, asking to see them.

The result was my immediate expulsion, without any discussion and despite my suggestions for a meeting.

This sort of procedure is contrary to the statutes that govern the association and to the law. It is hardly consistent with the image of an association where democratic processes operate!

At the same time, Boris has accused me of creating an over-familiar atmosphere among the marshals, thus alienating them from the board. There has indeed always been a strong sense of camaraderie among the marshals. We've been through good and bad times together, more like friends than just members of a team. Curiously - and despite constant invitations - the board have never condescended to join us at restaurants, on skiing holidays or on any of the activities organised for marshals. None of the four board members has even participated in one of the members' street skates. Apparently they have never been prepared to step down from the pedestal upon which they have set themselves.

The fact is that Boris has always held the marshals in contempt. After the initial announcement of my expulsion, on Friday December 6, 2002, he was faced with the consequences of his attitude when, in a powerful gesture of solidarity, the marshals all decided against supervising the skate unless I was reinstated. They insisted upon knowing the reason for his decision and demanded the right to express their opinion.

Boris tried humiliating them ("you're just an insignificant faction"). He made a vain attempt to appeal to them ("I sacrifice my time to the skate - 120%"). But after 45 minutes he was left with no choice but to go back on his decision and propose a meeting for Saturday December 21, when it was understood that the marshals would decide whether I should be expelled or not.

Interestingly, a number of unknown individuals - none of them marshals - showed up at this meeting. Nevertheless, the majority of those present rejected the call for my expulsion and Boris announced that he'd consider the matter over the weekend.

This was yet another demonstration of Boris' unspeakable contempt for the marshals, who took him at his word when actually he was lying shamefully to them. In fact the decision to expel me had already been taken long before the meeting at which they were supposed to give their decision. A letter, signed by Boris, confirming my expulsion had been written on December 16 - five days before this meeting.

I had no problem proving that the accusations made against me were false. Nevertheless, in order to calm things down, I resigned from the Administrative Council. Apparently, however, that didn't suit the board. They went ahead and terminated, not only my membership of the Council, but also my status as a skate official, a marshal and even my ordinary membership.

As a result of this decision, two of the Administrative Council's most active members resigned.

My punishment is clearly out of all proportion to the alleged offence. But that doesn't seem to have worried the board, which sees its election, at the 2001 AGM, as sufficient justification for all its actions and takes no account of any opinion to the contrary. It is now clear that Boris and the board are less interested in protecting the association than in looking after their own interests and those of the people who profit from the current system, and are covering up the various irregularities that have emerged.

Boris claims that Pari-Roller operates ethically. Actually, the association's very integrity is being threatened by the willingness to sacrifice its financial health to the profit of a "partner" company, exploiting the trust of the members and marshals.

Boris really doesn't understand that the good will of the majority should not be used to promote the personal interests of the few. This is what the board has been doing. And it is what I have been trying to denounce for a long time. The worst of it is that the board's actions are so risky as to threaten the very existence of the Pari-Roller. And Boris has taken these risks consciously!

He knows that all my accusations are well-founded. His only response to anyone who is trying to find out what is going on has been to refuse to call a general meeting, claiming that there is insufficient time to close the accounts for 2002 (as if the Pari-Roller's accounts were on the same scale as some multinational!).

This has been his only response to my accusations. Could he be afraid of having to answer the members' questions?

I'm not asking you to believe or disbelieve everything I've said. All I'm asking you to do is open your eyes and make up your own minds about the events I have described and about those that are likely to come to light in the immediate future.

I love the association just as much as the rest of you. The reason I have invested so much in it over the last five years has been to promote the sport in a spirit of co-operation. I have had the pleasure of skating alongside more than 300 marshals. Many of them have become friends with whom I am delighted to hang out off the skate. Thanks to this investment I have won the confidence of many people.

I should like to express my appreciation for the many expressions of support that I have received over the last few weeks, not only from Pari-Roller members, but also from other skating organisations in Paris. These have encouraged me not to take my expulsion lying down and have made me aware that the methods I am now denouncing had already been criticised by other people several months previously.

Many of you have asked me how you can show your support.

* Most important, I would suggest that you continue to wear your marshal's T-shirt. The mass of skaters shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of the board's mistakes.

* Don't be taken in by any sudden expression of "friendship" by board members. They've had five years to cosy up to the marshals; so it's wrong for them to try to do it now, when they're sitting in an ejector seat! Don't be blinded by the illusion of openness: a sudden bouquet of roses can't make up for years of neglect.

* What you should do is exercise your right to demand answers from the board by calling for an immediate general meeting. Insist upon this at the briefing every week. Write in. Make phone calls. Post on the forum.

* You might also ask the board about why some of its members, but not others, have been paid.

If you need any more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Thank you for your trust and support.

Sylvain BARTHES (Nounours)

Formerly in charge of marshalling and ex-member of the administrative council of Pari-Roller

Email: nounours@staffeurs.org

Tel: 06 12 46 34 80