What, and who, are France’s “gilets jaunes”?

By S.P. | PARIS

IMAGES OF burning barricades, riot police and tear gas on the Champs-Elysées in Paris have brought France’s gilets jaunes (“yellow vests”) to the world’s attention. The name refers to the high-visibility jackets that these protesters have adopted as a symbol of their complaint. French law requires all motorists to carry these jackets in the car. The movement began earlier this month as a protest against the rising price of fuel, but has taken on a wider role, and the gilets jaunes are now seen as symbols of the growing popular discontent with President Emmanuel Macron.

The yellow-vest protest began when rising world oil prices, combined with an increase this year of 7.6 cents per litre in taxes on diesel, pushed prices at the pump up to record highs. Commuters in France’s big cities are well served by good metro systems and bus routes; but elsewhere, many people drive long distances to get to work. The government says that the higher tax rate, together with an increase of another 6.5 cents a litre planned for early next year, is designed over time to align diesel and petrol prices as part of an effort to reduce diesel consumption and thereby curb pollution. “I’d prefer to tax fuel than work,” Mr Macron explained. “Those who complain about higher fuel prices also demand action against air pollution because their children get sick.”