The French “Yellow Vests” movement and its spreading across Europe
January 25, 2019
The French “Yellow Vests” movement and its spreading across Europe
In November, a new movement appeared in France: the gilets jaunesor “Yellow Vests” movement, a wide group of citizens, who gather together to protest against the French government and against President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.
The movement started with a fuel tax rise and fed up citizens who called for protests on social media. The first protest took place on November 17, 2018. Since then, the protesters have participated in roadblocks, barricades of roundabouts, blockades of fuel depots, and weekly gatherings every Saturday wearing yellow vests. In France, it is mandatory for drivers to have a yellow vest in each car for visibility on the road in case of a car crash or breakdown. As such, the protesters are wearing them to metaphorically become visible again.
The protesters have no official political affiliation. They come from different regions and, have different backgrounds, but they have something in common: they cannot or struggle to make ends meet every month and feel ignored by the government.
Experts thought that this movement would quickly die out due to a lack of structure, but this did not happen. On January 19, 2019 another protest took place – the tenth event. The French movement even received the support of the Italian Deputy Prime Ministers. The movement is now spreading across Europe: in Belgium, citizens have claims similar to those in France; in the United Kingdom, pro-Brexit protesters are wearing yellow vests; and in the Netherlands, Greece, Bulgaria, Sweden, and Germany, the Yellow Vests movement continues to spread.
by Letitia Aria Law Clerk at BHL LLP
Best regards
und viele Grüße aus Charlotte
Reinhard von Hennigs
www.bridgehouse.law
und viele Grüße aus Charlotte
Reinhard von Hennigs
www.bridgehouse.law