to ask what you think of the Gilets Jaunes (yellow vest) protesters in France?

[mothertruck3r]

Do you think they will achieve anything if they continue protesting?

Broad brushing it as "against gay marriage" is a classic way of ignoring the nuances in globalised politics, it's reflected in brexit. It cannot be pinned down to one side good, other side bad.

Totally agree with this ^. Perhaps that is why it is so hard to stop but much easier to label them homophobic or far left/right than to actually address their concerns (which started with the increased fuel tax).

It seems to me that this kind of thing will be replicated all over the western world where the wealthy/upper middle classes living in capital cities are largely unaffected by the economic and cultural changes that have occurred over the past 20 years (and in fact have benefited hugely from them) whilst the lower middle class and working class have suffered hugely. The haves want them to shut up because it's inconvenient to actually listen to them and address their concerns (as it largely means taking away all the advantages which have allowed this chasm to form between the rich and poor) so easier to call them homophobic/racist etc. I don't agree at all with violent protest but I suppose these people believe they have no other way of making their grievances known.

Actually down here in la France profonde what we see is that people with a genuine, concrete grievance have been joined by people who need a cause/friends and they are being manipulated to a great extent by populists from both ends of the political spectrum. There is a huge quantity of lies and partial truths whizzing about on social media too. I think they are vandalising for the hell of it now.

So many posters that I agree with on this thread. There are always thugs, we have thugs too - some of them in Westminsters who don't smash up shops but covertly destroy lives.

The dismissiveness from the blinkered who follow, sheeplike, without understand the issue is what the problem is - and what will ultimately wreck this country too with their 'I'm alright Jack' attitude. Some folks are not alright.

I display a car sticker for 'jaune gilet' on my rear windshield.

I live in France. The protesters don’t seem to have any clear agenda other than to cause trouble. They seem mainly to be intolerant, inarticulate, xenophobic types. (There are quite a lot of those in this country. No wonder the National Front gets such a good turnout.) My hunch is that they are stirred up, and supported, by the long arm of Putin as another way of weakening Europe. Some of the yellow vests’ complaints are in themselves legitimate - plenty of ordinary people are suffering from austerity measures, and the state machinery is still bloated - but their attitude really shows the ugly side of France.

They seem mainly to be intolerant, inarticulate, xenophobic types.

Isn't that quite dismissive though mammaries. Being inarticulate doesn't mean you are thick, intolerant or xenophobic does it? Have you any idea why they are intolerant? Not every one subscribes to the liberal agenda.

Think it depends on different regions too. Right down in the South, where we stay for several months of the year, the gripe seemed very much about the rise in fuel prices, in what is a very rural area with virtually no public transport. But they also protest against Paris centric schemes that are for example environmentally unsound. The protestors actually come from quite mixed demographics and seem very articulate. The National Front has very little support in this particular region though. This does not seem one homogenous group.

I think the problem with lumping the GJ protests into one 'box' is that there are, like Brexit, many factors at play, and you have to separate them out.
There is no doubt that Putin and others with a 'violent' tendency are the main culprits seen in the main cities now.
If you accept the fondness of many French to 'protest' then it is easy to put two and two to make 5.
Pictures of 'protestors' in Paris, who have gone equipped with gas masks and protective gear, shown throwing racks at shop windows, it is a far cry from the mostly peaceful protests on road junctions in November where there would be adults and young children present.
The original protest was about a steep rise in fuel costs which would hit rural areas, of which there are lots, pretty hard. Providing public transport is not really a solution as the population density is too low to support it.
Electric vehicles are also not realistic overall. They are very expensive and limited in range, plus the electricity has to be produced somewhere so you are only moving the source of the problem elsewhere. It may suit some of course but you are talking about people with a significant income that can afford to change, of which many of those 'out in the country can't afford it.