The French Yellow Vest movement has taken to the streets for the 27th week in a row and shows no signs of weakening as immense numbers turned out to continue the protests against President Emmanual Macron and his neoliberal policies.
Official numbers from the French Ministry of the Interior put numbers at 2800, but videos from “Acte XXVII” show what appears to be far larger numbers as the protesters marched through Paris, Reims and Nancy. Even taking the conservative 2800 number (with 1100 said to be marching in Paris), it would still be a significant increase on week 26 and further evidence that the protests are not going to simply fade away.
Gilets Jaunes activists had called for a “yellow tide” to mark six months of protests by the movement, with over 600 protestors in Nancy being joined by over 1000 at Drouet-d’Erlon in Reims.
Meanwhile, in Paris, a potential flashpoint was created as the Gilets Jaunes stated their intentions to “[regain] the right to demonstrate on the Champs-Elysees” following protests being banned around the landmark alongside Notre Dame and the National Assembly.
Despite the possibility of a repeat to the violence and police brutality that has marked previous weeks, events are said to have transpired peacefully.
A staggering 47,695 Gilets Jaunes demonstrations and rallies have been held across France since November 17 2018 with movements inspired by the Gilets Jaunes springing up across the world. The movement began as a grassroots protest movement for economic justice, being motivated by the rising costs of fuel and living in the country, with tax reform hurting the middle and working class. The movement has called for the resignation of Emmanuel Macron and his government.
While the original French Gilets Jaunes ascribe to no one single political ideology, with anti-capitalists, the far-left, far-right and anarchists all joining average concerned citizens, misunderstanding of the movement has led to far-right incarnations in Great Britain and Canada, while the United States has a socialist yellow vest movement.
Advertisement