France’s Yellow Vests – Symptom of a Chronic Disease

Abstract

In late 2018, a series of massive demonstrations brought parts of France to a standstill. Emiliano Grossman argues that the so-called 'yellow vests' are a response to an intense crisis of political trust that could have profound consequences for France. yellow vests protesting across France. Demands quickly grew beyond opposition to the fuel tax reform to embrace a host of very different and even heterogeneous grievances, ranging from an increase of minimum salary and purchasing power more generally to unrelated issues such as the abolition of gay marriage. Moreover, the movement soon proved itself unable to organise and to designate official speakers

Shared responsibility in collective decisions

“…The heated discussion around this long-contested legal precedent highlights the fact that it is much harder to know who to blame when several people are involved. The problems inherent in attributing individual responsibility to members of a group, and the associated weakening of the deterrent function of potential punishment, may help to explain why collective protests sometimes culminate in unexpected levels of violence (e.g., France’s recent “yellow vest” protests111).…”

Revolutionary Attitudes in Democratic Regimes

“…The increasing number of electoral losers may explain the increase in revolutionary attitudes. 8 For instance, the strong popular support for the insurgent Yellow Vest movement during 2018–2019 in France (Grossman, 2019) can be explained by the unprecedented share of electoral losers, the governing party in the Parliament having been elected despite a low share of votes due to the characteristics of the electoral system (Dolez and Laurent, 2018).…”

French Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes): Similarities and Differences With Occupy Movements

“…Grossman (:34) goes as far as to say that “the yellow vests are simply the expression of the disappointment that followed the election of Macron.” This explanation seems unlikely given that presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande both experienced similar fortunes and yet they did not face a comparable challenge. Conversely, we argue that the causes of the YVM are found in perceptions of relative deprivation concerning wealth inequality.…”

“…When the fuel price increase became known to the public, it created the impression that the burden was primarily going to be carried by the poor, since the people living outside the big cities are the ones driving long distances to work, as opposed to just “crossing the street to find a job” (Macron, September 15, 2018). A field survey has shown that the participants in the YMV “appear to be characterized by modest income and low levels of education, hostility to politicians and parties, and demands for more redistribution” (Grossman :33), and public opinion surveys indicate that protesters’ ideological backgrounds are diverse (Guerra, Alexandre, and Gonthier ).…”

“…Although the media rejected the violence and framed the YVM negatively, the public still supported the movement. The fact that the movement maintained this public support—despite attacks on police officers, the burning of citizens’ cars, robberies, the threatening of public servants, the vandalization of historical sites, or deadly car accidents—can be partly attributed to the French history and culture of protests and strikes that live on in the collective memory since the French Revolution (Grossman :31). It also attests to widespread frustrations over living costs problems, and the anger of a forgotten social segment of French society who received sympathy from most French citizens.…”