Thousands of Gilets Jaunes Gather in Le Puy -- December 8

More Gilet Jaune demonstrations were scheduled for Saturday, December 8 all over France. Paris braced itself for more violence, and police devised a new strategy to deal with it. Merchants have boarded up their stores. Many cities in the north of France even banned the sale of alcohol.

In Le Puy, the prefect requested that city officials cancel the Saturday farmer's markets that take place in Place du Plot and Place du Breuil as well as the Christmas market and ice rink on the Place du Breuil. The city also closed all public buildings (i.e., the theater, town hall, tourist office, etc.). According to city officials, these decisions were taken "out of prudence, to protect the Ponots (citizens of Le Puy), the merchants and their customers."

The following is a photo essay of the December 8 Gilet Jaune demonstration, which began with a march from the northern part of the city to the central square in front of the Prefecture.

Thousands of people gathered for the 10:30 march. 

                 

"En route to a first democracy."

  

The March

"Fed up being pressured like a lemon." (left)

"The revolt has started. Good-bye President Macron." (right)

  

"Macron, this one is big enough for you. I am coming."

"The Macron method"








"Ruined by working 12/7 to fatten the pigs. Thank you."

Motorcyclists lead the march. They blow their horns and race their engines for effect. Here they are at the end of the march before they move onto Breuil Square. 

At the Prefecture in Breuil Square

It was quiet in the empty parking lot across from the Prefecture, but space would soon be filled with thousands of Gilets Jaunes. The police were ready for them this time. They positioned themselves behind the gate of the Prefecture. As the Gilets Jaunes advanced from the street to the Prefecture, the police put away their cloth hats for protective helmets.






To prepare for today's demonstrations, the city mobilized 435 people including a full squadron of 75 mobile gendarmes, 300 gendarmes from Haute-Loire Region, 50 policemen, and 10 agents specialized in territorial intelligence. 

The Gilets Jaunes leave the street and head for the Prefecture where they line up in front of the gate with their backs t0 the building.

 

Police film the crowd from the second story of the Prefecture.

Guy Fawkes, the symbol of revolution, showed up.

The people milled about at the end of the march. There were no speeches and it seemed as though people were waiting for something--or nothing--to happen.


Effects on Town Life

Life went on as usual on Saturday morning. There were only a few indicators. This store put up a sign saying it was closed for security reasons. It will re-open on Monday, as usual.








The pharmacy remained open but its windows were boarded up just to be on the safe side from any violence. 













The ice rink and Christmas market on Place du Breuil were closed due to the demonstration.

Bakeries, cafés, and restaurants remained open during the demonstration.

After the march, the streets went back to normal--sort of. There is not as yet any pathway to a peaceful solution of the Gilets Jaunes' demands after four weeks of demonstrations--and violence. And it is uncertain how long the Gilets Jaunes will continue their marches and road blocks. Christmas is just 17 days away, and the weather is getting a little colder. 


Meanwhile, people continue to show their support for the Gilets Jaunes by displaying their yellow vests in their cars' front windows. They even give them food at their outposts on the roads. The French people have been largely supportive of the Gilets Jaunes because they aren't interested in paying a higher tax on gasoline either. On the other hand, getting through road blocks helps if they show their support.

  

Peaceful Protest Turns into Violence in Le Puy -- December 1

Le Puy-en-Velay was one of many cities throughout the country where the Gilet Jaune protest occurred on Saturday, December 1. The protest began peacefully at 10 a.m. but ended up in violence that didn't end until 12 hours later. Two wings of the prefecture of the Haute-Loire (state government offices) were set on fire by the Casseurs, thugs who join public demonstrations in order to commit violent acts and cause chaos. They are typically disenfranchised people who feel they have nothing to lose. They donned a gilet jaune (yellow vest), a symbol of the protest, in order to mix in with the crowd.

Police and the peaceful demonstrators were both taken by surprise at the violence in this sleepy tourist town of 20,000 people. Many police were traumatized. In covering the day, the headlines of the local newspaper, L'Éveil, asked a simple question: "Why?" Below is a summary of the  newspaper's  account of the events. Photos were taken by L'Éveil photographers. 

At 10 a.m. the Gilets Jaunes march on the north side of the ring road around the city and completely block all traffic. They are heading for Breuil Square, which fronts the Prefecture, the region's government building. About 3,000 persons participate in a peaceful demonstration. However, by 1 p.m. tensions are raised and 30 demonstrators taunt police and soldiers who are positioned behind the gates of the Prefecture. 

  Photo by © Vincent JOLFRE

Eventually, the crowd forces open the gates and enters the courtyard. Police use tear gas to disperse them, and several people are hurt. Ambulances are called to come to their aid. Surveillance cameras mounted on the building have been broken. 

At 4 someone lights a fire in front of the gate of the Prefecture and claims that they did this because the Prefect would not talk with them. At 5 Laurent Wauquiez (right), president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and president of the Republican Party, meets with protesters to discuss their demands.  

 
At the same time, the crowd shoots tear gas toward the Prefecture. A farmer who brought a haystack with him to the demonstration sets it on fire in front of the gate. Someone else adds tires to the fire. Others sprinkle officials with fire extinguishers to blind them. Police quickly disperse this group. 

At 5:30 some people try to force their way into the Prefecture but without success. Soon afterward they exchange blows with police, who eventually retreat. Even though it is dark at this hour, there are still several hundred Gilets Jaunes in the square. Some of them take paving stones from the Breuil Fountain and throw them at police. At 6:20 someone set a fire inside the Prefecture. By 9 it is extinguished. 

At 7, a delegation of seven Gilets Jaunes meets with Prefect Yves Rousset (center) where they share their complaints. The prefect promises to bring their complaints to the French government, but warns the delegation against continued violence. While this meeting is going on, someone sets fire to the parking machine located in the parking lot outside the Prefecture as well as to the other wing of the building, and on trash in front of the gate.  

Others knock over a glass recycling bin and start throwing bottles at the Prefecture building.

Firefighters have a difficult time getting to the fires. By 8:20 the scene has escalated to chaos. At 9, 20 CRS (national police) arrive. They clear the square and make at least six arrests. By 10, order has been restored in the city. Twenty demonstrators and police have been wounded.    


President Macron Visits Le Puy
On Monday, December 3, French President Emmanuel Macron came to the city without advance warning or fanfare.  His visit was characterized by L'Éveil as "furtive." People who happened to see the president's motorcade mocked him and called for his resignation, as have Gilet Jaune protesters throughout France.

The purpose of Macron's visit was to see the damage done to the Prefecture and to honor those who protected the city on Saturday. 


In a tweet published on Tuesday, December 4, Macron said:

"To the agents of the Prefecture of Puy-en-Velay: you experienced something terrible Saturday. Nothing justifies this violence. Through you, it is the state that has been attacked. But who else but the state responds to everyone's anger? Who educates? Who cares? Who helps ? It's you. I will never let the state be attacked for that reason. Your sadness I share it. I am proud of you."

Citizens in Le Puy were shocked by the violence and dismayed at the way it happened. 

Three people were arrested during the violence at the prefecture and tried in court on Monday, December 3. Two of them were sentenced to three months in prison and the third person's case was dismissed. The defendants told L'Éveil reporters that they had never done such violent deeds before in their lives and didn't understand what came over them. It was later revealed that many people on Saturday night were drunk. 

"Gilet Jaunes" Descend on France

Veronique De Viguerie/Getty Images

The scene on Saturday, December 1 at the Arc of Triumph in Paris was ugly. Just three weeks before leaders from all over the world met here and solemnly payed tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. Now the iconic symbol of France was clouded by tear gas, defaced, and surrounded by police trying to protect it from the "Casseurs," those who aimed to do violence to the monument. The Casseurs regularly attach themselves to public demonstrations and cause violent chaos. They are disenfranchised individuals who feel they have nothing to lose by their actions.

While the "Gilets Jaunes" (yellow vests) had been peacefully protesting in the streets all over France for the past two weeks, extremists from the Left and the Right mixed in with them on Saturday to raise their ire over capitalism, injustice against the poor, and general ennui over the Macron-led administration. By the following week, other groups joined the Gilets Jaunes and called for labor reforms, educational reform, and the like.

In Paris, the Casseurs' violent actions ended up costing an estimated 100 million euros in property damage on stores and boutiques in some of the wealthiest sections of the city. These people also overturned cars and sometimes set them on fire. More than 400 people were taken into custody, three died, and about 260 people were wounded. 

President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Argentina for the G-20 summit, promptly returned to Paris to meet with his cabinet ministers to determine how to respond to the crisis. He also cancelled his trip to a major environmental conference in Katowice, Poland. The environment has been one of Macron's signature policies of his administration, which began in May 2017. He has been an international advocate of curbing the use of fossil fuels by 2020, reducing the use of nuclear energy, and switching over to renewable energy sources like wind and solar.  

Who Are the Gilets Jaunes?
The Gilets Jaunes are a leaderless protest group that spontaneously emerged last month thanks to social media. They gather in key places on major highways throughout the nation with the aim of slowing down traffic in order to bring attention to the unfairness of the tax on oil set to be implemented in January 2019. They also took over highway toll booths and allowed vehicles to pass through for free. The toll booths are privately owned. 

The protesters used yellow vests as a rallying cry and identifiable symbol of their protest. The vests are part of a safety kit required by law  in October 2008 to be carried by motorists for emergencies. The kit includes a yellow vest, a reflector warning triangle, bandages, and gloves. The Gilets Jaunes use the yellow vests use as a symbol of government oppression.

Recently, the Macron government announced a plan for an Ecological Transition in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to encourage people to buy electric cars. This is a program that came out of the December 2015 Paris Agreement that addressed the problem of climate change by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to new technologies, and financing such efforts starting in 2020. Macron sought to hike gasoline taxes beginning in January 2019 to reduce the use of fossil fuels. In another measure he gave people an allowance to buy electric cars, however, it was quite a bit less than the cost of such cars. 

While this plan attempts to address climate change, it burdens people with the expense of making the transition to more ecological transportation. People who live in big cities would not be affected in the same way as people who live in rural areas. They have public transportation options (buses, trains, trams, bicycles) while people living in the country must rely on their cars to get to work. Many of these people are poor and paying the extra tax would pose an undue burden on them. 

Meanwhile, in trying to encourage big corporations to hire more people, Macron gave them tax breaks. This action infuriated citizens because they felt he was favoring the rich. Macron, himself a millionaire, was an investment banker before he went into public service. Among his positions in government was his appointment as Minister of Economy, Industry, and Digital Affairs in August 2014 where he was known for pushing through business-friendly reforms. He ran for president in 2017 as a centrist and defeated the far right candidate Marine La Pen. 

The Gilets Jaunes are calling for the 40-year-old president's  resignation. 

Marianne, the symbol of France since the French Revolution, was badly damaged at the 
Arc of Triumph during demonstrations in Paris held on Saturday, December 1
(AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

May 1968
Some news commentators have called the Gilets Jaunes a movement and compared it to the May 1968 period of civil unrest where there were massive general strikes and the occupation of universities and factories across France. At its height, the entire economy of France came to a virtual halt. Political leaders feared civil war or revolution and President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France for a few hours in order to protect the Elysée Palace, the presidential residence, because "nobody attacks an empty palace." 

The protests spurred an artistic movement and became a cultural, social, and moral turning point in French history. Alain Geismar—one of the leaders of the time—later pointed out, the movement succeeded "as a social revolution, not as a political one".

It remains to be seen what the Gilet Jaune movement will mean and what outcome will result.