US Election Euphoria Meets Questions Over Blue Lights in Paris and Canada

By Mark DaCosta- Reports that Democrats swept the United States midterm elections on 3 November, taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, have prompted political reactions on either side of the Atlantic. Blue — the Democrats’ familiar party colour — also appeared in photographs of the Eiffel Tower and Niagara Falls. But the available information does not show that either landmark was deliberately illuminated to celebrate the reported result.

In France, Economy Minister Roland Lescure was reported to have called the Democrats’ victory decisive and said it could constrain President Donald Trump’s room to manoeuvre on domestic policy. French politician Raphaël Glucksmann was also said to have welcomed the result as a setback for anti-democratic politics. Those reactions, if accurately reported, reflect European interest in a US election that may shape policy well beyond America’s borders. But the election result itself, including the scale of the Democratic gains, should be checked against authoritative returns before being treated as settled fact.

The Eiffel Tower’s blue appearance has added a dramatic image to the story. Yet no reliable evidence in the supplied account establishes that the Paris landmark changed its lighting in response to the US vote. The tower is regularly lit for public campaigns, commemorations and other events; a blue image, without confirmation from its operators or organisers, cannot identify the reason. In other words, the photograph may be real while the political explanation attached to it is not.