PARIS — Four jolly giants--an African, American Indian, an Asian and a European--strode through Paris like good-guy Godzillas on Tuesday, symbolizing the spirit of a World Cup that France hopes will loom large in history.
Blaring ethno-techno music and escorted by 4,500 costumed extras, the 60-foot robots took separate routes toward the Place de la Concorde, the heart of a citywide kickoff party for the soccer tournament.
"We want to show that soccer is accessible to everyone and belongs to no one," said Jean-Pascal Levy-Trumet, who designed the "Fete du Football" show. "The grand theme is universality in a single world."
As crowds watched the pageant end, however, hundreds of drunken soccer fans hurled bottles at police on the Champs Elysees, provoking an angry response from riot troops.
