France: 15th yellow vest protests see thousands on the streets
Thousands of people marched on Saturday in Paris and other French cities for a 15th straight weekend of yellow vest protests in which dozens of people were arrested.
Five separate demonstrations in the capital drew 5,800 people, the interior ministry said, while there were around 46,600 protesters nationwide. Some 41,500 people joined protests across the country last week.
Read more: France to investigate anti-Semitic insults at ‘yellow vest’ protest
The protests — named after the fluorescent jackets French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies — have generally become smaller since December when there was vandalism and looting in Paris.
Protest organizers have sought to keep momentum behind an increasingly splintered movement and bouts of violence that threatened to tarnish its image.
Read more: French police can use rubber bullets against protesters, court rules
Originally launched in mid-November against rising fuel prices and the cost of living, the yellow vest protests have since expanded to a broader movement against President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.
Macron has responded to the protests by rolling back the fuel tax hike and holding debates where officials listen to the public.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Mad at Macron
Since his election in May 2016, French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity has fallen steadily thanks to unpopular financial policies, such as ending a wealth tax, and his public manner, which many see as aloof and arrogant. But it was his planned fuel-tax hike, an environmental measure, that really kicked things off. An online video saying Macron is “hounding drivers” goes viral in October.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Nationwide protests
Online outrage is soon transferred to France’s streets as more than 290,000 demonstrators don the high-visibility vests that drivers are required by law to keep in their cars. They block roads nationwide. The protests, coordinated via social media, have no structural organization, lack visible leadership and disavow union or party ties. At least one person is killed and more than 150 are arrested.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Clashes and destruction
The Macron government says it won’t back down, and further protests are scheduled. On November 24, some 100,000 people protest nationwide, with 8,000 in Paris, where violence and destruction breaks out. Police clash with protesters on the Champs-Elysees (above), using water canon and tear gas. Over €1 million ($1.1 million) in damage is reported.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Cracking under pressure
The “yellow vest” protests are a massive problem for Macron. He initially refuses to budge on the fuel tax, then proposes adjustment in case of rising oil costs. Not satisfied, protesters hit French streets again on December 1, with violence and vandalism erupting in Paris. Macron calls a crisis meeting the next day and on December 5, amid threats of more protests, Macron ditches the fuel tax.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Paris on lockdown
Macron, however, refuses to reinstitute the wealth tax and dismisses protesters’ calls for his resignation. The “yellow vests” defy easy categorization, as protesters include both far-left and far-right supporters who opposed Macron’s presidency bid. On December 8, nationwide violent protests take place again. Armored vehicles roll down Paris streets as much of the city goes on lockdown.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Speech to the nation
On December 10, Macron responds to the 4-week-old protests with a televised speech to the nation from the Elysee Palace. More than 21 million viewers tune in as Macron strikes a conciliatory tone, saying he accepts his “share of responsibility” for the crisis. He introduces new financial measures, including a minimum-wage hike, tax-free overtime pay and tax exemptions for low-income retirees.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Neighboring discontent
In the meantime, the “yellow vest” protests jump beyond France’s borders to other countries. In Belgium, demonstrators expressed anger over high taxes and food prices, as well as low wages and pensions. Anti-riot police responded with water cannon after protesters threw rocks at the prime minister’s office. In Germany, protesters also turned out in Berlin and Munich.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
NYE calm
Protesters in France continue into late December, though turnout numbers fall. That doesn’t discourage unofficial but high-profile protest leaders, who use social media to encourage continued demonstrations. On New Year’s Eve, many revelers wear yellow vests as they take part in peaceful, “festive” gatherings in Paris.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
No end in 2019
Any hopes for calm in the new year were quickly dashed when on January 5 a fresh round of nationwide protests saw some 50,000 take part, an increase in turnout after the holiday lull but less than initial December gatherings. In Paris, some protesters clashed with police, setting fire to motorcycles and storming government buildings. Macron condemned the violence, saying, “Justice will be done.”
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
‘Reclaiming’ yellow vest protests
Several hundred women wearing yellow vests marched through Paris on January 6 in an effort to restore a peaceful image to the “yellow vest” protests. At one point during the march, the women protesters fell to their knees in a minute of silence for the 10 people killed and many others injured since the start of the movement.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
‘Grand debate’
In response to the “yellow vest” protests, Macron has begun a series of town hall discussions where he said he would hear the concerns of the French. His first was on January 15 in the northern town of Grand Bourgtheroulde, where around 600 mayors from the Normandy region gathered to raise complaints from their constituents.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Rubber bullets do damage, too
Prominent activist Jerome Rodrigues was injured in a confrontation on January 26. Rodrigues said he was hit in the eye by a police rubber bullet, an anti-riot weapon that has become highly controversial in France. The incident led to public outrage and was one of many severe injuries that protest groups blamed on the rubber bullets.
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A timeline of France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests
Court rules rubber bullets fair game
Following numerous injuries and outcry from the left-wing CGT trade union and the French Human Rights League, top French legal authority Council of State (Conseil d’Etat) refused on February 1 ban police from using the “sub-lethal” Defense Ball Launchers (LBDs) . The court said the risk of violence at the demonstrations made it “necessary to allow security forces to use these weapons.”
Dozens of arrrests
Police said 28 people were arrested in Paris, where protests were mostly peaceful. As they ended, clashes broke out and police fired tear gas at protesters on the Place du Trocadero across the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
Another 18 people were also arrested in the central city of Clermont-Ferrand, where 2,500 participated in protests that led to clashes with police. Weapons including baseball bats and gas pistols were among the items seized, police said.
In the western city of Rennes, 18 people were arrested, six police officers slightly injured and six protesters hurt by riot control pellets.
cw/jm (AP, Reuters)
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