For two months, France has been wracked by protests. Initially set off by rising fuel taxes, they morphed into a more general rejection of President Emmanuel Macron. The movement has become increasingly violent and security officials say that some of the protests have become as violent as those of those of 1968, when all of France was in upheaval. In some ways, the "gilets jaunes" ("yellow jacket") movement is a typically French protest, but it also reflects a deeper malaise that is increasingly found throughout the West.
The yellow jacket protests began in November when an estimated 300,000 people across France took to the streets and erected barricades to protest rising fuel prices. The price increases stemmed from France's commitment to fight global warming, but also reflected Macron's belief in the need to force structural change on the economy. The protests continued for the rest of the year, and gradually took on the character of an anti-Macron movement, despite key concessions that his government made, including suspension of the fuel tax increases.
Hopes that additional conciliatory statements and gestures by the president would deflate the movement proved mistaken. The protests resumed last weekend as an estimated 50,000 people across the country took to the streets. The demonstrations in Paris turned violent when marchers deviated from an approved route, and riot police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Barricades and motorcycles were set on fire, as was a floating restaurant on the Seine.