{"id":154703,"date":"2023-03-27T16:52:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T16:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=154703"},"modified":"2023-03-31T19:52:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T19:52:05","slug":"historical-echoes-gilets-jaunes-and-rising-tensions-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/news\/historical-echoes-gilets-jaunes-and-rising-tensions-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical Echoes: Gilets Jaunes and Rising Tensions in France"},"content":{"rendered":"           <!--  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n                jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n                    jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n                        if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n                        }\r\n                    });\r\n                })\r\n            <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n            <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n            <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n                                <span style=\"background-color:#9259b9;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n                <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#9259b9;background-color:rgba(146, 89, 185, 0.1);\">\r\n                                                        <li>The gilets jaunes (yellow vest) movement is reminiscent of the 1968 student uprising in France, and protesters compare the CRS, France's elite police unit, to the Nazi's Schutzstaffel (SS).<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The proposed pension overhaul in France, which raises the pension age by two years to 64, has resulted in protests and strikes throughout the country, reminiscent of the gilets jaunes protests of 2018.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The growing unrest and strikes have left President Emmanuel Macron facing the most significant challenge to his authority since the gilets jaunes protests four years ago.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The mounting tensions between protesters and the CRS, coupled with memories of the 1968 student uprising and the gilets jaunes movement, signal a dangerous moment for the French president and his police force.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The wide range of political discontent highlights the growing divide in French society and the dissatisfaction with the Macron government's handling of various issues.<\/li>\r\n                                                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            \n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gilets jaunes (yellow vest) movement has reignited memories of the 1968 student uprising in France, as protesters chant slogans comparing the Compagnies R\u00e9publicaines de S\u00e9curit\u00e9 (CRS), France&#8217;s elite police unit, to the Nazi&#8217;s Schutzstaffel (SS).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Half a century later, demonstrators voice their anger against rising taxes, falling wages, and a growing disenchantment with globalization, harkening back to the days of street clashes and police confrontations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1968, France was shocked by the violence that erupted between police and students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CRS&#8217;s use of tear gas, likened to the chemicals used by the United States in Vietnam, caused widespread outrage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, the CRS faces criticism for using LBD (Lanceur de balle de d\u00e9fense) or &#8216;flash-ball&#8217; guns, which have led to serious injuries among protesters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, tensions between the public and the police have only escalated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CRS was created in 1944 as an elite unit to protect the Republic from potential Communist insurrections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, its role expanded in 1948, when it was tasked with quelling civil unrest caused by food rationing, poor harvests, and coal shortages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CRS&#8217;s brutal suppression of striking miners in 1948 led to comparisons with the SS, which persisted into the 1960s.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Unrest and Strikes Challenge Macron&#8217;s Authority<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Emmanuel Macron is currently facing the most significant challenge to his authority since the gilets jaunes protests four years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public discontent over the government&#8217;s decision to raise the state pension age without a parliamentary vote has resulted in protests and strikes throughout France.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demonstrators have chanted slogans calling for Macron&#8217;s resignation, and police have clashed with protesters, using tear gas to disperse crowds.<\/span><\/p>\n                        <!-- <div class=\"container-c\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"row justify-content-between\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"col-post-800\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- start html -->\r\n                        <div class=\"blockquote-wapper\">\r\n                            <div>\r\n                                <span class=\"text_quot\">\r\n                                    <p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Emmanuel Macron is currently facing the most significant challenge to his authority since the gilets jaunes protests four years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/span>\r\n\r\n                                <div class=\"quot_icon\">\r\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"quot_tick\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot_tri.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                        <!-- end html -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                                    \n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With unrest growing, authorities have banned rallies in central Paris, and demonstrations have spread to other French cities, including Compiegne, Nantes, and Marseille.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A coalition of French unions has called for continued mobilization to force the government to reconsider the pension reforms, with a nationwide day of industrial action planned for Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The strikes have affected various sectors, including refuse workers, causing rubbish to pile up on the streets of Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TotalEnergies\u2019 refineries and depots have also experienced strikes, with 37% of operational staff participating in the protests.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Echoes of the Yellow Vest Protests<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current unrest in France is reminiscent of the gilets jaunes protests of 2018, which began over high fuel prices and led to a partial U-turn on a carbon tax by President Macron.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposed pension overhaul raises the pension age by two years to 64, a change the government argues is necessary to save the pension system from bankruptcy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the mounting tensions between protesters and the CRS, coupled with memories of the 1968 student uprising and the gilets jaunes movement, signal a dangerous moment for the French president and his police force.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the nation remains on edge, the government&#8217;s ability to navigate the current crisis and address public grievances will be crucial in determining its future stability.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Divided Nation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gilets jaunes movement is not limited to the political left.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has criticized the use of &#8220;unreasonable force&#8221; and &#8220;mutilation of political opponents&#8221; in handling the protests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This wide range of political discontent highlights the growing divide in French society and the dissatisfaction with the Macron government&#8217;s handling of various issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the country faces a moment of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, the government must find a way to address the concerns of its citizens while maintaining order and stability.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":154704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3588],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}