France has seen protestors don yellow vests and march to fight high fuel taxes. Angry farmers, seeking better pay, drive tractors down the Champs-Élysées. The nation also saw museum workers strike and shut down the Louvre to secure better tourist management.
Protest is as French as “La Marsillaise,” the 1792 anthem that enshrines the collective duty to fight tyranny in the country’s national identity. However, this month saw the most violent protests in years alongside tough policing measures, which raised concerns about riots — comprising hundreds of thousands of people — marching against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
