Why Macron Gave In to the Yellow Vests
Nationwide demonstrations threaten the president’s ability to enact his agenda and could set a precedent for European protest movements.
Gilets Jaunes on Avenue Foch in Paris.
Photographer: Michael Bunel/Polaris
Emmanuel Macron thought voters wanted a leader who remained above the fray—“to preside, not govern,” as he put it during his 2017 campaign. Now, after three weeks of nationwide demonstrations and violent clashes in the heart of Paris, the 40-year-old French president has been swept up in the fray, and he risks losing his ability to deliver the economic and political renewal he promised.
On Dec. 4, Macron suspended a planned fuel tax hike that sparked the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, movement, named for the safety vests French drivers must keep in their cars. The concession didn’t appease protesters, whose list of grievances extends much further. “The French won’t be satisfied with just crumbs, they want the whole baguette,” said Benjamin Cauchy, an early movement organizer, speaking to BFM TV, a 24-hour news channel.