Under Emmanuel Macron, France’s streets have rarely remained quiet for long. The Yellow Vests movement erupted in the fall of 2018, before he had completed his second year in office, and the protests continued for months until the COVID-19 pandemic brought them to an end. The initial spark was opposition to increased fuel levies, but the movement quickly exposed deeper rural and social discontent with policies that many viewed as a “pre-packaged” remedy for national debt, social security deficits and mounting pension pressures!
