The “Yellow Vest” protests are demonstrations that have been ongoing in France since last year to protest the economic reforms enacted by President Emmanuel Macron. While the interim group was in Paris, we saw the effects of these protests first hand.
While we all kept a safe distance from the protesters, we were well away of what was going on. On the way into Paris, many Yellow Vest protestors deliberately stopped their vehicles in the middle of the freeway heading toward Charles de Gaulle Airport to block people from getting there. Luckily we were heading in the opposite direction and arrived at Versailles without hinderance.
During our second day in Paris, we were told that several demonstrations would be taking place throughout the city. Fortunately, they were not around Notre Dame or the Louvre, which were that day’s destinations. Throughout the day we heard police sirens every now and then as the demonstrations must have been taking place.
The group was generally unaffected by these protests but there was a large police presence in the city. For reasons I am still unsure of, two of us were searched by the police outside Notre Dame. Maybe we looked French enough to be protestors. After visiting the Louvre, a group of us started to head back to our hotel via the Metro. However, due to the protests, many of the stops had been closed; therefore, we had to backtrack and take another, longer, route back.
Under the current political climate, we are used to the many protests in the United States. However, it was an eye-opening experience to see what political unrest looks like in a different country and culture.
Peter Atma