Stumbling into a Yellow Jacket Protest

Last Saturday, I was in the red-light district of Pigalle in Paris, doing tourist-y things. No, not getting a prostitute, though I suppose that would be a way to “experience the culture.” I was there to see the Moulin Rouge (Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? is one of the only French phrases I know, of course).

This ain’t your Greek grandmother’s table dancing.

As I got closer to the famous cabaret, I noticed an increasing police presence. There were dozens of police officers on motorcycles, and they all looked tense. It did not take long to figure out why.

I tried to ask around for more information, but I received only typical Parisian responses: in French, with an eye-roll when I asked for English, please. I heard yelling, and I saw civilians and police officers running past me.

At first, I saw only civilians dressed in plain clothes. But as soon as I spotted some yellow jackets, I knew that I was in the middle of a Yellow Jacket protest.

The Yellow Jackets are involved in a populist, grassroots movement that attracted more than 300,000 people onto the streets of France when it began in November 2008. They are demonstrating against rising fuel costs, increased costs of living, and unfair government tax reforms. The protestors chose yellow high-visibility vests because of their association with working-class indusries. On Saturdays, citizens discontent with the government assemble to “block all roads” and disrupt the public life.

At first, the French people supported the movement, though support is waning due to the ensuing violence. By December 2008, over 1,800 protestors and 1,000 police officers had been injured.

I wanted to see more of what this was about, so I grabbed my belongings and went with the protest.

Police officers, with their shields, formed a human wall to try to contain the protestors, but they would move back when the crowd reached a critical mass.

All the police officers yielded batons, but many possessed tear gas canisters, tear gas sprays, and later, Flash Balls.

The police officers did not like it when you hurled glass containers at them, yelled too close to them, and, as I later found out the painful way, aimed your camera too close to their face to take a photograph.

Don’t you just love a powerful man in uniform? Hubba, hubba.

(Left) The police officer in the back guided the police officer in front, because it’s not much fun to walk backwards. (Right) At random intervals, police officers would throw tear gas bombs into the crowd.

Many protestors held signs and adorned their yellow jackets with anti-Macron statements; they want him to resign. French President Macron has been associated with protecting the interests of the extreme rich.

At the start of the movement, President Macron had a 25% approval rating.

Out of focus, but you get the hint.

One protestor got too close to a police officer’s face, and he pulled out a tear gas spray to spray back.

I heard a clanging noise, and turned around to see a tear gas bomb detonate meters away from me. I tried to use my shirt for protection, but the tear gas just went through it. My eyes reddened and I started coughing heavily. A volunteer medic approached me and cleaned out my eyes.

The Yellow Jacket movement seems to be politically agnostic. Left-wing, right-wing, extreme left, and extreme right individuals join together to express their dissatisfaction with the current government.

I saw protestors who were black and white, male and female, young and old, including this older woman, transporting herself via wheelchair with her dog.

A woman places a barricade down on the street to disrupt traffic.

Most protestors are peaceful, though some have more malicious intents. Besides blocking traffic, some protestors resort to rioting, vandalism, arson, and looting. I saw some protestors attempting to steal from businesses and vandalize public property. I saw one trash can on fire.

This type of behavior has led many French citizens to actively counter-protest, sometimes violently. I bore witness to a Parisian living on a Penthouse floor aiming a glass bottle at a Yellow Jacket protestor, which rendered the protestor unconscious. In retaliation, Yellow Jacket protestors began buzzing the apartment and attempting to kick in the door. I did not stay to see what ended up happening.

Vehicles: Protestors vs. Police. The banana vehicle reads, “We’re not fooled. The culture associate with the yellow jackets”

This Saturday happened to be one of the hottest days in Paris’s heatwave, and I wondered if it would cook up violence. I asked a protestor, who said that the police presence today was unusually high.

Many business owners shut down their shops when the protestors came. At this restaurant, the staff barricaded their entrance with tables and chairs, with the help of some Yellow Jackets.

Though many protestors have geared up with goggles and respirators, tear gas remains an effective way to disperse a crowd. At this plaza, multiple tear gas bombs went off at once.

This man got caught in the tear gas bombs, and had to wash his eyes out for ten minutes.

A protestor showed me a tear gas canister he collected from the street. He urged me to spread the word about the situation in France, so that Americans can learn.

Two hours into the protest, police became more impatient, more liberally using their tear gas and anti-riot equipment. Police officers starting putting their Flash-Balls on display. The Flash-Balls (or LBD) are supposed to be non-lethal when they are used for their intended purposes for shooting at legs. But at close ranges, these weapons can be dangerous, especially when aimed at faces.

Police mis-use of LBDs have resulted in numerous facial traumas. The French Yellow Vest organizer Jerome Rodrigues lost an eye due to an LBD. Another photographer also lost three fingers due to one. One protestor has even died from a heart attack following an LBD attack.

Though LBDs scared many protestors away, one bold man in a backwards cap was emboldened to come closer to take photos with his phone.

At this plaza, police officers surrounded the protestors from all sides and started to close on the perimeter. I was warned from numerous protestors that things would start getting ugly, so I left.

As I stepped onto the Metro away from the protest, I began reflecting on all that I saw. Many Americans, myself included, are extremely discontent with the current government, but I feel like we don’t do anything more meaningful than complaining on our Twitter feeds. Though I am in no way an advocate for violent protests, I wonder what Americans can learn from the Yellow Jacket protests.

All photographs were taken by author. Please contact before using.