Ever since his election campaign, Emmanuel Macron has been keen to prove he's not afraid of French protesters, reports the BBC.
Where previous governments have blinked, Mr Macron has stared down the unions, weathered their protests, and pushed through difficult reforms on labour laws, and railway workers' pension rights.
But protests over fuel prices this month are presenting him with a new kind of political challenge. This is a protest with no official leader, no national organisation, not run by any union or political party; a protest that feels distinctly spontaneous, individual and diverse. And that diversity is key - both to its importance, and to its potential weakness.
Last weekend, more than 280,000 people dressed in high-visibility jackets blocked roads across France in protest at rising taxes on diesel and petrol, which the government says are to fund eco-friendly projects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A small number of hard-core protesters have continued blocking roads and petrol stations this week, and calls have gone out on social media for a second national demonstration this weekend - urging protesters to converge on the capital. So who are the men and women in the hi-vis vests?
"It's the France of the majority, who work, who are not marginalised, who struggle to make ends meet and often end the month in the red, "explains political author Jérôme Sainte-Marie, who has written a book on democratic changes in France.