This was the first time Vesters tolerated unions to march on the same city streets as them - the unity would be quite short-lived. I don't blame them. In September 2019 I interviewed the head of a top farmer's union: I gave her every chance to defend, even just mildly, the Yellow Vests, but she insisted that farmers had nothing in common with rioters.
This is exactly what a Yellow Vest told me that day: "The average union worker supports theYellow Vests, but not the union leaders, who have repeatedly betrayed us. The unions must finally end their selfishness, because everyone is against this government."
Is it a rural-based movement, as is often said?
The only who people who say that are those who don't understand/can't admit that class is the single most dominant political lens.
Like all true revolutions, the nation's "trash" had become the true political vanguard.
Feb 6 - France passes 'anti-Yellow Vest law' amid mass protests
The law allows police chiefs, known as prefects, to ban citizens from attending protests, a power which was previously reserved for judges. The law also gives police greater power to search citizens without warrants, and imposes fines and prison terms for any protester covering their face to avoid identification, or even of using a scarf to avoid tear gas.
I recall earning some plaudits on the Champs-Elyse'es around this time. It was cold, and French riot cops were all covering their face to stay warm. I loudly told a cop that if he can cover his face against the law, then I should be able to wear my burqa, LOL. Easy for me to talk back in anger - I'm a journalist: the French protesters who did the same usually found themselves wrestled to the ground and arrested, with the wife screaming, "He didn't do anything!" behind him.
This is another shift of power towards the executive branch and away from the judiciary and legislative branches, and especially the electorate. This process greatly accelerated under Francois Hollande with the 2-year state of emergency, the so-called "French Patriot Act", and the repeated use of forcing through unpopular austerity-related laws by executive order. Macron would use executive orders even though he has an absolute majority in Parliament - he just wanted to avoided the bad press of open debate.
Feb 21 - Macron's 'Deep State' scandal deepens with perjury charges
The Benalla affair - nobody knows about it outside of France but it's Macron's biggest one.
I would contend that a large reason it is not known outside of France because the constant implication is that Macron and Alexandre Benalla had a homosexual affair, or that Benalla helped cover up such an affair as Macron's personal - and extremely law-breaking - bodyguard. The 24-year age difference between Macron and his wife helps fuel these rumors.
Regardless of these rumors, these charges came from an exasperated Parliament committee which concluded that Macron showed Benalla an "incomprehensible indulgence". This "indulgence" was so extreme that nobody can possibly explain why a president would take such risks to protect such a person? It remains baffling.
Anyway, the problem is transparency/independence from blackmail/corruption. A Yellow Vest that week put things into perspective: "Look at the Benalla affair: there is overwhelming proof that President Emmanuel Macron's right-hand man committed many crimes, yet he remains free, while Yellow Vests stay in jail! It is clear that there is major discrimination in the justice system by France against its very own citizens some people have special privileges, but the Yellow Vests do not."
Benalla served one week in jail, but only because he broke his bail - the average prison sentence for a Yellow Vest has been one year.
Feb 22 - Macron to outlaw anti-Zionism, sparking disbelief & outrage
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