Marching Men in Luxembourg Gardens

Saw these fellows in uniforms today at the Jardin du Luxembourg. They looked like firefighters but they were carrying bayonet rifles. Huh?? Couldn't understand what it was all about, which is a frequent feeling for me in France (or anywhere?). Well, I guess I could have asked someone, but almost everyone watching looked like a tourist (i.e., more clueless than I). Anyway, the reason I took the picture (before they marched off) is because I liked the way the human formation merged with the tree formation, to make a solid, almost symmetrical shape. Perhaps there's a semi-abstract painting in here. All sorts of parallels come to mind...the fastidiously groomed trees alongside the rigid conformity of the marchers...the training of nature, the training of men...