The formerly peaceful protests of the French Yellow Vest movement have turned increasingly violent in recent days. Numerous individuals have been apprehended, and many more are gearing up to stage a strike in response to the government’s proposal to elevate the retirement age and revamp pension systems.And despite the widespread anger, President Emmanuel Macron remains determined to carry through with his controversial plans. France in a civil uprising!
The Yellow Vest protests, which began with a proposed rise in fuel taxes, have also evolved into wider anti-establishment action and have drawn support from students and farmers. But while they may have started with anger over a tax hike on gas, their aim is not to topple the government but rather to pressure it to change the rules governing France’s social welfare system.
France is getting wild again!
Protesters and activists are demonstrating in a way that is not new to the country’s long history of civil unrest. But this time, it is happening in a context of economic uncertainty and political instability that has seen the economy fall into recession twice already this year.
Many of the protesters who are angry about these policies are young, urban and middle-class, says Elizabeth Carter, an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire. They see the fundamental values that have long shaped France’s social protections and political ideals under threat, she explains. They are also concerned about the government’s moves to weaken France’s social protections and to increase inequality.
Initially, these protests were organized by unions, who have been struggling to make headway on their demand for better pay and working conditions under the government. However, they have turned into a more confrontational movement, which is reminiscent of the student protests that brought France to a standstill in May 1968.
These anti-government demonstrations are a sign that the French have reached a tipping point, Carter adds. As a result, the government may be forced to drop its controversial plan to raise the retirement age and revamp pensions.
Worse than “Jes Suis Charlie?”
This may be the most serious crisis to hit France since World War II, experts say. Its ramifications will be felt across the country, from rural communities to the capital, where thousands of workers will be unable to go to work.
While it is not clear how widespread the violence is, a number of reports are coming in about police brutality and the use of tasers and other repressive measures against protesters. Lawyers, magistrates and opposition parties are demanding that the authorities halt the escalating use of arbitrary arrests to suppress protests.
There is no reason for the government to use such tactics in the first place, they say. The French have a long tradition of protest, but the current situation has caused problems for the nation’s law enforcement agencies, which are overstretched and facing high levels of public discontent.
The interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, has blamed radical anarchist groups for clashing with police and smashing shop windows during the most violent day of protests so far. The minister said that more than 450 people were arrested on Thursday. He argued that the rioters were responsible for causing a lot of damage, and that they set ablaze large quantities of uncollected rubbish. However, Le Pen, at the helm of the far-right Rassemblement National (FN), asserted that Darmanin’s intentions were to undermine the credibility of the gilets jaunes movement.
