After a substantial amount of anti-government protests, it is easily forgotten that a fuel tax sparked the movement of the yellow vests. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has tried to take small steps to reduce the usage of fuel, as it has created great damage to the earth and is one of the causes of global warming. His actions took place at the end of 2018, when he announced that the amount for gas taxes will increase by 3 cents per liter for petrol and 6.5 cents per liter for diesel beginning January 2019 (“France Fuel Unrest: 'Shame' on Violent Protesters, Says Macron”).
The straw that broke the camel’s back was definitely the government's decision to increase fuel taxes. This movement is by far the most challenging task of Emmanuel Macron's presidency. The yellow vest movement started off by a video posted on Facebook on October 16, 2018 which went viral. Jacline Mouraud addresses the President of France in her video, stating this at the end: “Where is France going Monsieur Macron? Certainly not where you said you would bring it” (Mouraud). In the video, Jacline Mouraud addresses the problem that the people living in France pay way too many taxes and a lot of them can’t afford to change their cars, or go to work without them. After the video went viral, people started to create their own videos complaining about the increase of the fuel tax. Soon after that, people joined together to protest.  
The first protests also known as “Act I” were held on Saturday, November 17, 2018 in some of the largest cities of France, such as Paris, Lyon, Nantes, and Bordeaux. Members of the protest were mainly organized through Facebook posts, videos, and online group chats. The members of the protest, also known as the “yellow vests” or “les gilets jaunes” in french, wear yellow jackets that are mandatory to have in cars. According to the local fr. website, the first protest included 300,000 protesters across France constructing barricades, as well as blocking roads and fuel depots (Mcpartland). Many injuries followed the protest. Act II, the following Saturday, attracted 106,000 protesters. Act III, held the 1st December, 2018, consisted in citizens having protesters having violent behaviors such as burning cars, breaking down shops, bars/restaurants, as well as vandalizing l’Arc de triomphe, a huge symbol of Paris. The Monday following the protests, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo estimated, “The properties damages at 3-4 million euros” (“France Fuel Protests: 80-Year-Old Woman Killed in Marseille”). After Act IV, Emmanuel Macron addressed the public and announced that he would postpone the second tax augmentation planned in January, to later on in the year. He also announced that the people that gained the minimum salary wage would get an increase of 100 euros. These changes however, did not impress the majority of the yellow vests whatsoever. There is still a continuation of protests every Saturday. At this point of the movement, the yellow vests have started to demand many different things that didn't necessarily have to do with the original issue of increasing the fuel tax. For example, create jobs for the unemployed, unsuccessful asylum seekers returning back to their country of origin, big companies like Amazon and Google should pay taxes, etc, (“Demands of France's Yellow Vests as Uploaded by France Bleu, November 29”). The whole situation turned out to be a huge debate on every problem in France. The following Acts were still violent; however, the amount of protesters was decreasing. A week before Act X (19th of January), the President of France announced that he would organize and participate in the “Great National Debate”, to listen to the problems of the yellow vests, and find solutions (“The 'Yellow Vest' Movement Explained”).
Currently, the number of protesters has decreased; however, even if many of the people in France are not protesters, 80% of the population believes things should change (“'Yellow Vests': 80 Percent of French People Consider Macron's Measures 'Insufficient'”). Many people have left the yellow vests aside, such as Jacline Mouraud (one of the leaders of the yellow vest movement), because they felt like the situation had gotten out of control. Many people have faced serious injuries, and ten deaths occured in total. With all of the demands that the nation has made, it is very overwhelming for the government, and it seems as if the yellow vests’ demands won't be stopping soon. Emmanuel Macron, who has been blamed and accused of being “The President of the Rich,” isn't giving up, and believes that even after such an event, France will come back together (Silvia and Samuel).

Work Citation

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