Yellow vests protests
The Yellow Vests Protests or Yellow Jackets Protests or Yellow Vests Revolution (French: Mouvement des gilets jaunes, pronounced [muvmɑ̃ de ʒilɛ ʒon]) are a series of populist,[65] grassroots[66] weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018.
Yellow vests protests
Yellow vests Revolution
Gilets jaunes protests
17 November 2018 – present
(5 years, 7 months, 1 week and 6 days)
- First phase: 17 November 2018 – 14 March 2020
(1 year, 3 months and 26 days) - Second phase: 12 September 2020 – present
(3 years, 9 months, 2 weeks and 4 days)
France
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Australia[1]
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Belgium[2]
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Bulgaria[3]
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Burkina Faso[4]
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Central African Republic[4]
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Croatia[5]
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Czechia[6]
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Finland[7]
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Germany[8]
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Greece
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Iraq[9]
Israel[10]
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Ireland[11]
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Italy[12]
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Jordan[13]
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Latvia
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Lebanon[14]
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Libya[15]
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Netherlands[16]
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Nigeria[17]
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Pakistan[18]
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Portugal[19]
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Russia[20]
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Serbia[21]
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Slovakia[22]
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Spain[23]
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Sudan
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Sweden[24]
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Taiwan[25]
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Tunisia[26]
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Turkey[27]
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United Kingdom[28]
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United States
- Rise of crude oil prices in 2018[29]
- Fuel tax[30]
- Traffic enforcement cameras[31]
- Austerity measures[32]
- 2017 wealth tax repeal[33]
- Opposition to neoliberalism[34][35]
- Increase of minimum wage in France[36]
- End to austerity measures[37]
- Improved standard of living[37]
- Government transparency and accountability[37]
- Improved government services for rural areas[37]
- 42 demands in total[37]
- Constitutional proposal for a citizens' initiative referendum, including constitutional, legislative, abrogative, and recall initiatives[38]
- Cancellation of fuel tax and six-month moratorium on diesel and petrol price changes[50]
- Announcement that price of Électricité de France blue tariffs would not increase before March 2019[51]
- Elimination of tax on overtime and end-of-year bonuses[52]
- Decrease of fuel and motor taxes[41]
- €100 ($112) wage increase for employees[53]
11 people, including 3 yellow vests, were killed in traffic accidents caused by yellow vests roadblocks in Belgium and France, 2 yellow vests, both aged over 50, died during the demonstrations due to heart problems unrelated to the protests, 1 woman died of a surgical shock at the hospital after being hit by a tear gas grenade in the margins of a demonstration[63]
4,439 (police and civilians)[64]
After an online petition posted in May 2018 had attracted nearly one million signatures, mass demonstrations began on 17 November.[67] The movement was initially motivated by rising crude oil and fuel prices, a high cost of living, and economic inequality. The movement argued that a disproportionate burden of taxation in France was falling on the working and middle classes,[68][69][70] especially in rural and peri-urban areas.[32][71] The protesters called for lower fuel taxes, a reintroduction of the solidarity tax on wealth, a minimum wage increase,[38] among other things. On 29 November 2018, a list of 42 demands was made public and went viral on social media, becoming a de facto structuring basis for the movement. The demands covered a wide range of topics, mostly related to democracy, and social and fiscal justice.[37][72] Participation in the weekly protests diminished due to violence, particularly due to the loss of eyes, hands, and neurological disorders caused by police blast balls.[73][74][75] The protests eventually stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France but continued again after health restrictions were lifted.[76]
The movement is supported primarily by populists on both sides of the political spectrum, but rarely by moderates. According to one poll, few of those protesting had voted for Macron in the 2017 French presidential election; many had shown political alienation by not voting, or had voted for far-right or far-left candidates.[77] Rising fuel prices initially sparked the demonstrations. Yellow high-visibility vests, which French law requires all drivers to have in their vehicles and to wear during emergency situations, were chosen as "a unifying thread and call to arms" because of their convenience, visibility, ubiquity, and association with working-class industries.[78] The protests have involved demonstrations and the blocking of roads and fuel depots, sometimes developing into major riots,[79] described as the most violent since those of May 68.[80] The police action, resulting in multiple incidents of loss of limb, has been criticized by politicians and international media; it has sometimes resulted in police officers being charged for their violent behavior.[81] The movement has received international attention. Protesters in many places around the world have used the yellow vest as a symbol.[82][83] About 3 million people have participated in the yellow-vests movement.[84]
Impact[edit]
Adama Committee and Nuit Debout[edit]
On 29 November, François Ruffin, the founder of left-wing Fakir magazine, organized a mobilizing meeting with various French left-wing movements, at which Frédéric Lordon spoke of the Yellow Vests, saying "If the Nuitdeboutistes who got all wound up into deforestation and anti-specist commissions can't get moving when this happens, then they are the lowest of the low".[231]
Students protesting against the government's educational reforms[edit]
Angered by Macron's education reforms and plans to change the baccalauréat (a secondary-school leaving exam), students protested in cities across France.[232] Students expressed concern that these reforms will lead to further inequalities of access to higher education between students in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.[233][234][235]
On 6 December, over 140 students were arrested outside a school in Mantes-la-Jolie. A video of the mass arrest—showing students kneeling with their hands behind their heads—inspired indignation.[236] Jean-Michel Blanquer, the French Education Minister, said that although he was "shocked" by the scene, it needed to be viewed "in context".[237][238] Amnesty International issued a report about the incident.[239] On the same day, France Bleu reported that Saint-Étienne was "under siege".[240] It was in this context that the mayor of Saint-Étienne suggested, first by tweet then by press release, that the Festival of Lights in neighboring Lyon be canceled to free up police in the region.[241]
University students have reportedly joined the movement, denouncing the planned increase of tuition fees for foreign students from non-EU countries.[242]
Christmas shopping season[edit]
By mid-December, trade losses of €2 billion ($2.24×109) had been reported as a result of blocked access routes to commercial zones and the closures of urban chains. Supermarkets reported that traffic had dropped significantly, estimating the overall loss at around €600 million ($672,000,000) as of 13 December.[243]
Media related to Mouvement des gilets jaunes at Wikimedia Commons