Gilets Jaunes
Yesterday was the 4th week of demonstrations throughout France by the Gilets Jaunes. First, a little bit of background and then I'll tell you about our experiences. Gilet Jaune means yellow vest and refers to the bright yellow safety vests that drivers must carry in their cars. These have become the symbol of the protests because the near term cause of the protests was the increase in the gas tax.
The gas tax increase is an attempt by Macron to push drivers to use more climate friendly forms of transportation such as public transportation or hybrid vehicles. The gas tax increase combined with higher world oil prices to dramatically increase the cost of transportation, especially for those who live outside the major cities and are forced to drive.
The public perception is that Macron is president for the rich since the changes are only helping the wealthy. The general population of working and middle class is suffering and having an increasingly difficult time making ends meet. This has caused seething unrest that has now exploded in demonstrations around France.
These demonstrations differ from the typical French demonstrations and strikes. Those seasonal events are normally planned and scheduled by labor unions. There is a prescribed route for the march, buses are rerouted and police protect the demonstrators. It's all very civilized and controlled.
The Gilets Jaunes have no clear leaders and also no clear demands other than better economics. Depending on who is interviewed, demonstrators want lower taxes, higher wages, cheaper housing, Macron to resign, the list goes on and on. It's not at all clear how the government will be able to deal with the situation.
OK, now onto our personal experiences. Last week's rioting had no impact on us. There was no evidence of demonstrations or violence in our current neighborhood. During the week, we did go to a champagne tasting at a private apartment not far from the Arc de Triomphe. The hosts told us about smoke from fires, tear gas in the air and that two of their neighbors' cars were burnt or vandalized. Makes it all more personal.
Yesterday, Paris was virtually closed down. All major museums, department stores, many subway and bus lines were closed. Again, we assumed this wouldn't affect our neighborhood. So, Maxine was surprised when she took the dog for a morning walk and saw the extent of the preparations at local businesses.
These are the entrances to Sciences Po, the local university.
This is next door to the bakery where Maxine and Emmy buy pastries and bread. Monoprix is like a small scale Target store and we shop there all the time.
Almost every bank in our neighborhood was boarded up and many retail stores covered their front windows so that demonstrators couldn't see inside and be tempted to vandalize.
All of this was a little unnerving since our local businesses were clearly preparing for trouble. During the day, we actually saw no demonstrations or any other issues. We did see a line of at least 18 police vans (each containing 6-8 police) race by us on the road at one point. But that was it. Today, in other areas of the city we saw some smashed windows and graffiti on businesses over near the Paris Opera.
Tomorrow, President Macron is making a major speech. He's been pretty invisible this week and has relied on other government officials to announce concessions (they rolled back the gas tax) and to speak publicly about preparations for this weekend. It will be interesting to see what Macron has to say tomorrow.
The gas tax increase is an attempt by Macron to push drivers to use more climate friendly forms of transportation such as public transportation or hybrid vehicles. The gas tax increase combined with higher world oil prices to dramatically increase the cost of transportation, especially for those who live outside the major cities and are forced to drive.
The public perception is that Macron is president for the rich since the changes are only helping the wealthy. The general population of working and middle class is suffering and having an increasingly difficult time making ends meet. This has caused seething unrest that has now exploded in demonstrations around France.
These demonstrations differ from the typical French demonstrations and strikes. Those seasonal events are normally planned and scheduled by labor unions. There is a prescribed route for the march, buses are rerouted and police protect the demonstrators. It's all very civilized and controlled.
The Gilets Jaunes have no clear leaders and also no clear demands other than better economics. Depending on who is interviewed, demonstrators want lower taxes, higher wages, cheaper housing, Macron to resign, the list goes on and on. It's not at all clear how the government will be able to deal with the situation.
OK, now onto our personal experiences. Last week's rioting had no impact on us. There was no evidence of demonstrations or violence in our current neighborhood. During the week, we did go to a champagne tasting at a private apartment not far from the Arc de Triomphe. The hosts told us about smoke from fires, tear gas in the air and that two of their neighbors' cars were burnt or vandalized. Makes it all more personal.
Yesterday, Paris was virtually closed down. All major museums, department stores, many subway and bus lines were closed. Again, we assumed this wouldn't affect our neighborhood. So, Maxine was surprised when she took the dog for a morning walk and saw the extent of the preparations at local businesses.
These are the entrances to Sciences Po, the local university.
This is next door to the bakery where Maxine and Emmy buy pastries and bread. Monoprix is like a small scale Target store and we shop there all the time.
Almost every bank in our neighborhood was boarded up and many retail stores covered their front windows so that demonstrators couldn't see inside and be tempted to vandalize.
All of this was a little unnerving since our local businesses were clearly preparing for trouble. During the day, we actually saw no demonstrations or any other issues. We did see a line of at least 18 police vans (each containing 6-8 police) race by us on the road at one point. But that was it. Today, in other areas of the city we saw some smashed windows and graffiti on businesses over near the Paris Opera.
Tomorrow, President Macron is making a major speech. He's been pretty invisible this week and has relied on other government officials to announce concessions (they rolled back the gas tax) and to speak publicly about preparations for this weekend. It will be interesting to see what Macron has to say tomorrow.
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