Comment: The “Yellow Vest” Protests – heading towards Revolution?

In just over 6 weeks the French middle class have been on the streets of Paris, and elsewhere in the country, protesting everything from imposed fuel taxes, road tolls, low wages and a flagrant inequality between the common person and so called 1%. President Macron, like Trump in the United States, gave excessive tax breaks for the wealthy and introduced further taxes on the middle class. Thus the “Yellow Vests” hit the streets, ensuring the French be heard, that this type of Neo-liberal behaviour will not be tolerated, asking President Macron to step down.

Macron's response to the protests, at the start, was in a word, arrogant, calling the “yellow vests” thugs, criminals, and even suggesting that the Russian government was behind the violence. This arrogance was noticed around the world, as social media lit up in support of the French protests. In fact, polls reveal that the majority of French people are supporting the “yellow vests”, as well, causing Macron's administration to twitch around in their seats, and offer bred crumbs, like freezing the fuel tax, but it was too late. More people hit the streets, erupting in higher levels of violence. And the police are certainly responding in kind, with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Admittedly of course, they're are vandals and violent instigators among the “yellow vests”, but the vast majority are middle to lower middle class workers – teachers, retail assistants, truck drivers, carpenters, and retired people in their 60's, 70's and 80's in the streets, risking injury for economic equality in their country.

But as one French woman explained, though she does not approve of the violence, it was the only thing that got them noticed....That is terrible to say, but also necessary”, she said. There are instances where the police are showing solidarity with the people, but as another protester said, “The police have families too, and need to keep their jobs.” However, observers in Paris have seen that police action, in terms of violence, is escalating, Police response is way over the top, where only last week, a fifty year old grandmother was shot with a rubber bullet, intended for her. Tear gas fills the city streets, people are being shot, but how long will the “yellow vests” hold out against such governmental aggression?

It is well known that the French people are revolutionaries. When the people see and feel an injustice, particularly, when it is the common French citizen, the people's voice begins as a whisper, ending with the guillotine.

How far will the French people go to correct the obvious Neo-Liberal agenda of the Macron Government? Well, as a good friend who lives a mere thirty minutes by train from Paris, told me,

“The violence from the police is getting worse, but we will never give up to save our so-called Republic.”

Whether President Macon is ousted or not, the policies must change; that is real policies, truly representing the common people's interests, and not the interests of the wealthy, and few.

The world should take heed from the “Yellow Vests”.