Recent Protests in France and Why They Are so Effective

Disclaimer: The following blog post is not a reflection of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s opinion on the below topics.

By Catherine Myers

A group of people protesting in front of the Arc de Triomphe, wearing yellow vests and waving a French flag. — Yellow vest protesters march from the Arc de Triomphe in protest against high fuel prices and low minimum wages.^[1]

Beginning in 2018, the use of nonviolent protests has been a popular way that French citizens use to speak out against French President Macron’s actions. In January of this year, protests against a new pension reform plan, which would increase the age of retirement by two years, erupted. President Macron’s administration was predicted to lose the vote in the French Parliament to approve the pension plan.^[2] To combat this, he used a constitutional article, which was essentially a loophole allowing him to enact this plan without approval from parliament. After learning about the President’s actions, citizens took to the streets in protest. Unfortunately, France’s law enforcement has had quite a negative history when interacting with protesters, causing multiple human rights organizations to criticize the government’s actions.^[3] Overall, an estimated one million people protested against this pension plan.^[4] Teachers went on strike, and famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles were forced to close, showing that these protests have had a huge influence on daily life in France.^[5]

These protests against the French President mainly began in October 2018. An accordionist named Jacline Mouraud posted a video online condemning President Macron’s actions regarding fuel price increases. This viral video sparked over 290,000 protestors to take to the streets in November, creating a movement called the “Yellow Vest Protests” in reference to the safety vests drivers are required to keep in their vehicles.^[6] This protest first started with people wanting to dispose of the green tax on diesel but evolved in support of increasing the minimum wage.^[7] Eventually, President Macron decided to get rid of the green tax on diesel due to the massive protests nationwide.^[8] Though this may have addressed some of the protestor’s wants, President Macron refused “to reinstate the wealth tax and [dismissed] protestors’ calls for his resignation.”^[9] This resulted in more protests in December, causing Paris to go on lockdown. These protests rippled to other countries including Belgium and Germany.^[10] The Yellow Vest Protests were “the biggest social crisis in France since Macron took office in May 2017.”^[11] This was not the end of the use of nonviolent protests in France, as in August of 2021, protestors took to the streets against the new “COVID Pass,” an official document that proves one has received the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing them to enter restaurants, sports games, museums, and other venues. Though the majority of the country had received their COVID-19 vaccination, protestors say this health pass directly infringed upon the liberties of citizens.^[12]

In addition to these protests, in October of 2022, walkouts of oil refinery workers resulted in a strike from multiple sectors including transportation, teachers, and hospital workers. Unions called for pay wages to increase in order to match the current inflation caused by high energy prices. Due to the war in Ukraine, prices for products increased by 6% but wages did not reflect this increase.^[13]

French citizens use nonviolent protests to speak out against President Macron’s policy decisions, and these protests are more often than not an effective way to force the government to listen to the wants and needs of the people. One reason why they are so effective is due to the high amount of labor rights given to French workers compared to those given to U.S. workers. In France, it is much easier to join a union and those unions have extensive social and political influence, allowing them to fight for better working conditions and wages.^[14] This leads to many workers joining unions, and when unions call for protests, many workers are in support.

Overall, French citizens continue to use peaceful protests as a way to voice their opinion about significant policy decisions and issues, especially when it comes to President Macron’s administration. This is due to the large influence unions have, allowing them to use peaceful protests as a strategy to force the government to listen to the people. The use of protests in France will certainly not decrease, and many are hopeful that other countries will listen to the cries of protestors in the future.

^[1] Paul Pradier, “’Yellow vest’ protests in France draw fewer demonstrators, less violence in latest round of weekend demonstrations,” ABC News, December 15th 2018.

^[2] “More than 1 million demonstrate across France against pension reforms,” National Public Radio, March 24th, 2023.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] Ibid.

^[6] “France “Yellow Vest” Protests: Timeline of Unrest,” France 24, November 12th, 2018.

^[7] Jake Cigainero, “Who are France’s Yellow Vest Protesters and What Do They Want?” National Public Radio, December 3rd, 2018.

^[8] “A Timeline of France’s “Yellow Vest” Protests,” Deutsche Welle, January 6th, 2019.

^[9] Ibid.

^[10] Ibid.

^[11] “Calm Reigns Over Paris After Violence, Women Yellow Vests Set to Protest: France Protests,” EFE News Service, January 6th, 2019.

^[12] Manuel Ausloos, et al. “Protesters in France demonstrate against COVID pass for sixth weekend,” Reuters, August 21st, 2021.

^[13] Ibid.

^[14] Ibid.