Tag: gilets jaunes

The French president has faced increasing demands over the past two weeks to bring down statues and revisit other works of art that honor French historical figures involved in slavery and France’s colonial history amid protests against police brutality and racism. Similar movements in the U.S., Belgium and U.K. have toppled or defaced statues of… Continue reading Protests in France Part 7

France will not be tearing down statues or rewriting its history in response to pressure from anti-racism activists, President Emmanuel Macron has said. “The republic will erase no trace or names of its history, it will forget none of its works, it will tear down none of its statues. We must instead lucidly look together… Continue reading Protests in France Part 6

The rolling transport strikes that crippled Paris through much of December and January have stopped, as empty pay packets post-Christmas took their toll. Instead there has been a change of tactic, with the more radical unions now planning sporadic days of action. President Emmanuel Macron’s bid to radically overhaul the post-war pension system reaches the… Continue reading Protests in France Part 5

Macron crystallizes the anger of all protestors and their language is getting more and more violent: “We’re going to hang the banker!” and “Macron, we’re coming to get you at your place!” It would seem the French want a king so they can cut off his head. While the 2019/2020 protests against pension reform –… Continue reading Protests in France Part 4

The government published an official decree on Saturday banning all non-essential gatherings, but hundreds of protesters, some wearing protective masks, began convening outside the Montparnasse train station, chanting anti-Macron slogans. The yellow vests, named after the high-visibility jackets they wear, were holding a 70th consecutive Saturday of action. The movement emerged late in 2018, triggered… Continue reading Protests in France Part 3

Thousands of French security forces fanned out across central Paris on Saturday as anti-government “Yellow Vest” protesters defied a ban on mass gatherings aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus. In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron announced school closures and urged people to avoid close contact for fear of… Continue reading Protests in France Part 2

In 2018, the price of petrol was the spark that lit the fire of the yellow vests, known in France as the “gilets jaunes”. In 2019, when people took to the streets again, it was against pension reform. Many in France assume the two issues are separate, but the protests, week after week, suggest these… Continue reading Protests in France Part 1