The paradox of the ‘Yellow Vests’

Here’s a roundabout in Annecy which the infamous Gilets Jaunes (‘Yellow Vests’) have regularly camped by. It’s a bit of a paradox, and I’ll explain why in a moment.

Back in late 2018, the Gilets Jaunes movement gained popularity throughout France for all sorts of reasons. From a practical perspective, every car in France should legally store safety gear in case of an accident or breakdown. This includes a reflective triangle and a yellow vest. Since virtually everyone in France has a yellow vest in their car, this simple attire became an low-cost and effective form of visibility for the cause.

What what exactly is the cause? Well that’s where the problem begins. Initially, people weren’t happy that President Macron put higher taxes on diesel fuel. He cited environmental reasons, but the French working public felt that he was making low earners pay even more just to make their living. The movement grew and so did their list of woes. Some protested about Amazon. Others demanded broad social justice. There was simply no single cause. Several people tried to take leadership, but there were too many agendas and demands for anyone to address them meaningfully.

Even here in Saint Jean de Sixt, we had two Gilets Jaunes on our only roundabout in November 2018. One of them set up a tent, which led to constant toots of support (or anger?) day and night. Living nearby, I cursed the cause while accepting that France is all about the protest. A week later, the snow arrived and the guy shuffled off to the warmth of his fireplace at home.

Since then, I’ve seen the Annecy roundabout change. First tents, then makeshift buildings where they served tea and food to each other while they unwittingly blocked access to the main hospital during their first few weeks, leading to an entirely different set of social rights problems. The shanti town was eventually demolished by the authorities and the protesters moved on. Their graffiti was as contradictory as their movement in the spring of 2019, with ‘Gilets Jaunes, toujours là‘ (‘Yellow Vests, still here’) even though they weren’t, physically there. And after six months of protest, the concept was still ‘here’, but their influence on government decision-making was still not evident. I wondered if they’d shot themselves in the foot with that phrase. ‘Look, we’re still here but we’ve achieved nothing so far’ is hardly the sign of a successful protest.

And then in November 2019, the cause reignited in Annecy and the balloons, pictured above, arrived. Yellow balloons everywhere! Yellow balloons tied to trees on the roundabout, tied to signs, lining the roads leading to the roundabout. Hundreds of balloons, some deflated and littering the footpath, and not one protester in sight.

At their demolished site, they left more graffiti. This time, it said ‘ECOLOGIE‘ (‘Ecology’), so at least one member of the Annecy movement believes the environment is important.

Yet here we are, with yellow balloons being washed down drains, polluting waterways and possibly causing death to animals through ingestion, and pro-environmental messages being written in fluorescent spray paint. What a paradox! And let’s not forget that the movement started as a protest to higher taxes on diesel, which is more polluting and still cheaper in France than petrol.

The passion and determination of the Gilets Jaunes is commendable, and I do wish them every success with some (not all) of their causes. But they really should think about their actions before doing more damage. ‘Gilets Jaunes, toujours nuls‘.