What Are France's Yellow Vest Protests?

From losing popularity following the "French Watergate" scandal to harbouring harsh criticism from Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron has garnered his fair share of controversy since stepping up as French President in 2017. Now, he's facing a new drama that has seen the country teetering on the edge of declaring a State of Emergency.

The turmoil is fuelled by the Yellow Vests, a protest movement founded to oppose an increase in gasoline taxes. While Macron asserts the move will play a key role in transitioning France away from fossil fuels and enhancing the country’s environmental policies, many see it as a major blow to the middle classes.

Protestors take to the streets of Paris

Thousands of people have now joined the movement, which culminated with heated protests in the streets of Paris. The scenes saw more than 400 people arrested and left over 100 injured, not to mention caused serious damage to buildings, businesses, cars and public property, including the iconic Arc de Triomphe.

Known as the "Gilets Jaunes” in France, the grassroots movement directly opposes President Macron, who has garnered criticism for appearing arrogant and out of touch. He's also been slammed for favouring the wealthy, a reputation that's earned him the title of "President of the Rich." While previous protests have been peaceful and relatively sporadic, the latest turmoil and violence on the streets of Paris has French politics experts concerned.

Experts predict a new era of French politics

It's not just a small group of people opposing the diesel taxes, with new polls suggesting the Yellow Vests have the support of 75% of the French public. Many have slammed Macron for his failure to address the rising costs of living in France, which currently imposes the second-highest tax burdens in the developed world.

While some experts predict the Yellow Vests could evolve into a political party, others maintain that lack of a charismatic and powerful leader will hold them back. Either way, France's political landscape is on-track for change as Yellow Vests supporters won't vote for Macron, nor will they support the centre-left Socialists or the centre-right Republicans. Instead, he predicts supporters will pledge allegiance to Le Pen’s National Rally or Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed.

“This is a movement that holds all institutions and the establishment in disdain,” comments Sylvain Boulouque, a French historian who specialises in communism, anarchism and the formation of extremist parties. “They aren’t going to vote for parties whom they hold responsible for the past 30 years.”

From increasing diesel taxes to phasing out petrol-powered cars, the transition to renewable energy won't be easy. As a result, cross-industry learning could emerge as a useful tool. For a closer look at the concept read 'Big Data, Smart Data and Big Analysis: What can the Petro-Industries learn from Big Pharma and the Allotrope Foundation, and where should the future lie?'