For a month now, news from Paris, besieged by fire and smoke from burning tires, has not left the front pages of the world's leading media, where crowds of people in yellow vests block roads, smash shops and burn cars, demanding the resignation of the French government. Large-scale anti-government demonstrations, known today as "fuel protests" began in mid-November, and since then have not subsided, but only intensified.
The movement of "yellow vests"
The yellow vest demonstrations prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to freeze the controversial decision to raise fuel taxes, raise the minimum wage and impose emergency socio-economic measures in response to the catastrophic losses Paris suffered as a result of the protests.
But what are these demonstrations? Who are the "yellow vests" and why exactly did they manage to force the authorities to make concessions? What were the reasons for the anti-government protests?
What's going on in France?
Since November 17, 2018, France has been in a fever with large-scale anti-government protests, which are concentrated in the center of Paris. Very often, demonstrations end in clashes with the police, pogroms of entire neighborhoods and arson of cars.
As a result of the confrontation, two protesters were killed, about 800 people were injured in clashes with the police, more than 1,300 people were detained, some of them are behind bars.
Who are the yellow vests?
This is how the media called the participants in the anti-government protests in France. This name comes from their appearance. All protesters wear reflective vests.
According to the French traffic rules, every car must have a reflective vest. If the car breaks down, the driver must appear on the road wearing a vest so that other drivers understand that he has an emergency. Therefore, almost all drivers in France have yellow vests.
The protesters decided to use these vests as their uniform and crowd recognition clothing. Thus, they express their protest precisely against the decisions of the government, which most of all hit the drivers.
Why did the "yellow vests" go to protest actions?
The reason for the protests of the "yellow vests" was the decision of the French government to increase excise taxes on fuel. This immediately hit the drivers who own their cars, as this decision automatically led to an increase in gasoline prices.
Since January 2019, the French government has planned an increase in gasoline prices by 2.9 euro cents, and for diesel - by 6.5 euro cents. The increase occurs as a result of the introduction of a new tax - the so-called "green" tax. It was introduced by the French government in accordance with the commitments that France made under the international Paris climate agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The tax should be an incentive for people not to use cars with an internal combustion engine, but to switch to electric cars or switch to public transport. According to the calculations of the French government, this "green tax" was supposed to provide budget revenues of € 3.9 billion over the next year. These funds were to be used primarily to close the budget deficit, as well as to finance the country's transition to a more environmentally friendly transport system.
The government's decision to raise excise taxes on fuel and a new tax provoked large-scale anti-government protests by the population. Most of all, these decisions hit the drivers of cars from the provinces, who commute to work in big cities every day and cannot switch to public transport due to the fact that it is practically absent in the rural area.
Fuel prices rose by only a few cents. Is this really the reason for such a large-scale protest?
Of course not. The increase in excise taxes on fuel has become just the last straw in relations between society and the government, which have been aggravated for many decades. The problems grew and deepened every year and after every election. The main ones are as follows:
- · Deepening the gap between rich and poor;
- · Rising taxes and prices for food and gasoline;
- · Economic stagnation and low growth rates, deterioration of the welfare of the French;
- · The crisis of representative democracy as a concept in the context of the scientific and technological revolution;
- · The obsolescence of the ideas of the Fifth French Republic and the demand for renewal of the elites and the political system itself;
- · The isolation of the French elite from the population mentally, culturally and socially.
Since the death of long-term post-war French leader Charles de Gaulle, there have been discussions in France about reforming the political system, which had its flaws. Some people advocated changes to the Constitution and the proclamation of the Sixth Republic, for example, to introduce a parliamentary republic and abolish the presidency. Actually, therefore, it is not surprising that during the protests of the "yellow vests" some people demanded reforming the system and weakening the role of the president with the introduction of elements of direct democracy (referendums, popular votes, mechanisms for recalling deputies, etc.).
In addition, some of the French believe that their political elites are too "cut off" from the people. For example, many of the deputies, ministers and officials are rich and, in the opinion of people, are not concerned with the problems of ordinary citizens. Wealthy French people pay taxes offshore, for example, in neighboring Luxembourg, while ordinary people are forced to pay out of their pockets without any benefits or bonuses. There are many such examples, and recently they have split French society. People don't know who to vote for. They are looking for new leaders who can solve difficult problems in a simple way.
In the last parliamentary elections in 2017, 24% voted for the party of Emmanuel Macron. At the same time, for the national-populists Marine le Pen - 21, 30%, for the left-wing radicals Jean-Luc Melanchon - 19, 58%, and for the right-wing conservatives from the Republicans party - 20%. At the same time, almost 25% of citizens did not come to the polls. As you can see, almost an equal number of citizens voted for each of the political forces. And a quarter of the population did not come to the polls. This picture reflects how deep the division and political uncertainty of the French has become.
In recent years, the French public has also raised the issue of power control. With each election in France, voter turnout is getting lower. People are more quickly disappointed with their rulers and come out to protests. Emmanuel Macron has lost more than 20% of his rating in just a year. Some of his voters believe that he deceived them when he promised to strengthen social justice in the state. And the French have few mechanisms to control power. In 2017, the government passed a law on confidentiality of business information, which made it much more difficult for journalists to investigate, including dubious corruption schemes. This further angered people who began to lose faith in traditional tools of public control such as the media. At some point, the population in France (and in Europe in general) suddenly understands that neither the president, nor the government, nor the members of parliament represent their interests. And elections are just a waste of time. It is not surprising that the “yellow vests” were very afraid to appoint the official leaders of their movement, who would negotiate with the authorities. They believed that they would very quickly make a deal with the government and become politicians, thereby leaving their brethren and becoming higher in status than them.
Therefore, the protests in France are about more than just gasoline prices. This is a long-term confrontation between society and government and an attempt to rethink the foundations of the functioning of the French Republic.
I constantly hear about some kind of protests, strikes and demonstrations in France. What's wrong with these Frenchmen?
Protests, demonstrations, strikes are all part of the political culture of France. As soon as a problem arises, the French take to the streets, believing that this is the most reliable way to express their protest and force the government to make concessions. Protest street culture has taken root in France quite firmly, since the time of the Great French Revolution at the end of the 18th century.
What's next for France?
In response to massive demonstrations that caused massive damage to Paris and the economy, President Emmanuel Macron imposed a moratorium on fuel tax increases for the next six months. However, the protests did not stop, and some of the demonstrators began to put forward political demands, such as the resignation of the president and a change in the political system.
The French government expects the demonstrations to subside and the number of participants to decline. After all, the protests irritate the people of Paris itself. Not everyone supports the demonstrators, especially when pogroms and burning of cars and shops begin. Macron's government does not want to resign and takes advantage of the fact that the "yellow vests" do not yet have a political connotation.
However, the aggravation of the confrontation is quite likely in the event of any excesses and if the government again goes to the introduction of unpopular economic reforms. In any case, the protests in France have shown the end of the traditional order we are accustomed to.
