In a kebab shop on the outskirts of Bordeaux, Christine, 48, was planning the next steps of the local gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protest movement, reports The Guardian.
“We might seem less visible, but we’re still out here,” said the cardiac nurse who left her job after a “burn out” – like “so many” healthcare staff. “Some don’t want to wear a yellow vest anymore because of being targeted by police, but we’re organising meetings, mobilising citizens and we’ve still got public support. We’ve created a new sense of solidarity in France and that won’t go away.”
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters are expected to blockade rural roundabouts and march through cities this weekend to mark the first anniversary of one of the most unusual and long-lasting protest movements in French history – and the government is on alert.
Christine spent many days this year standing with a thermos flask and flyers on a suburban roundabout north of the western city, demonstrating against what she sees as the injustices of French society. An out-of-work single mother of two who struggles to meet housing costs, she said: “The yellow high-visibility jacket is a great leveller – once you put it on, you’re all the same. It brought people together.”
One year after hundreds of thousands of angry French protesters first put on fluorescent jackets and took to the streets over rising fuel taxes, what became a wider movement has left a mark on French politics.
The protests forced the government to announce billions of euros of tax breaks that demonstrators still insist are not enough. The centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, although vowing to continue his pro-business reforms, said he learned from the protests that he must put more humanity into what he called his “impatient” style of governance.
Policing tactics towards demonstrators have come under scrutiny. Official figures state 2,500 demonstrators were wounded during the protests, which have continued each Saturday for a year. About 1,800 police officers have suffered injuries. Activists say 24 protesters lost an eye and five lost a hand because of police weapons. Two police officers will soon stand trial over alleged violence against protesters.
After being caught unaware by the protests 12 months ago, Macron and his government are now trying to anticipate and contain other growing protest movements, including an unprecedented revolt among striking hospital staff as well as students.