After leaving Paris I’d have to say the biggest cultural experience I’ve had was witnessing multiple Yellow Vest demonstrations. This group of Yellow Vests is mostly composed of middle class workers who are upset about the tax burden on the middle class, as well as increased fuel taxes and cost of living.
The first demonstration we saw was on our first day coming into Paris. Some Yellow Vests had deliberately stopped their cars on a very busy highway, resulting in miles of backed up traffic. The police had surrounded the people who caused it, but it was going to take a lot of work to get all of the traffic moving again.
The second demonstration I saw took place at the Arc de Triumph. A group of us went there to check it out, and on the way there the train skipped about 5 stops in order to keep people from getting off into that mess. This was clear when we saw men in gas masks to resist the tear gas at the one of the stops we passed. But we’re defiant college kids so we found our way to the Arc de Triumph. On our way there we noticed that the road had been blocked off, and when we got there we saw that every road leading to the Arc was blocked off. There were more police officers than I’ve ever seen surround the Arc, and in the middle were the Yellow Vests just walking around and chanting. It was pretty peaceful for the most part. A couple cans of tear gas were thrown on the opposite side and we later realized some Yellow Vests had been throwing bricks. Along with all the police vans (and tanks) there was a water truck that they later used to spray the Yellow Vests to keep them under control. But for the most part, the police officers just stood there and let the protestors do their thing, only intervening when necessary.
Overall, it was an insane experience. Before the trip I had briefly heard about the Yellow Vests, but actually seeing some demonstrations made it so much more real to me. It allowed me to get a first hand view of what’s happening on the other side of the world. I was able to see how passionate the Yellow Vests are about their beliefs, and how much work the French government is doing to keep it under control.
P.S. We remained at a safe distance at all times.