The Yellow Vests: The Danger of Weekly Violence in France

The 18th act in the weekly drama, which has been taking place every Saturday in France for the past five months on behalf of the Yellow Vests movement, took place on March 16. The destruction left behind by the riots on the Champs-Elysees, which took place this Saturday, has sparked astonishment and anger in the country – eight out of ten citizens condemn this violence, according to the latest polls.

The government, which was heavily criticized for not preventing the destruction, decided on a series of measures, including a ban on demonstrations on the Champs-Élysées, as well as in disaster-prone centers in other cities, in the 19th round that took place the following Saturday, March 23. This saved the city from another firestorm of shops, banks, and restaurants.

The problem is far from being solved, however. According to criminologist Alain Bauer, the violent nature of the demonstration in the 18th arrondissement was predictable. Everything was written on social media, even the arson of the luxury restaurant La Poquets was not kept secret, quite the opposite. Everything was planned in advance and everything was recorded.

The next violent demonstration will be, the decision-makers continue to write on Facebook, on April 20, and until then we can expect relatively peaceful demonstrations. The protesters need to gather strength, and those who live far from the capital cannot get there every Saturday. Everything is planned and the dates of the wild demonstrations are set in advance, in response to the government's agenda, as are the dates of the peaceful demonstrations. Until then, a significant portion of the yellows are watching the videos of the 18th campaign with pleasure, even those who did not actively participate in the riots, saying that this is the right way to make their voices heard and demand social justice and fair taxation.

Black-yellow, yellow-black

In February, contacts began between the Black Bloc, the ultra-left battalions dressed in black, and the Yellow Vests. A certain section of the Yellow Vests began to radicalize their behavior and copy the Black Bloc's methods of operation.

The latter advocate violence as a political means against the existing order. Masked and equipped, mobile and agile, the Black Blox are well trained to confront the forces of order. At the forefront of the demonstrations, dressed from head to toe in black, the Black Blox effectively attack everything they see as symbols of power and capitalism: shops, restaurants and banks.

The Black Blox, who are well versed in urban guerrilla techniques, have set themselves the goal of instilling them in those of the yellow vests who wish to become more efficient. The blacks spread their methods among the yellows, organizing weekends together where the rookies learn how to attack police officers, how to defend themselves against tear gas and rubber bullet guns, how to evade detection, how not to get caught. The yellows have a lot to learn because many of them are protesting for the first time. They are the ones, for the most part, who are caught and they are the ones who are injured, not the skilled blacks with the sophisticated equipment.

To counter the effectiveness of the black-clad protesters, who change clothes during the demonstrations to maintain their anonymity, the security forces have developed new methods. One of them is an identification technique using a chemical substance, a spray that is sprayed on the black-clad protesters. The spray remains on the clothes, even after washing, for several months, and on the skin, even after bathing, for several weeks. The spray is invisible to the naked eye and is detected under ultraviolet radiation. An uprising against the use of the spray, a completely new technique, was not long in coming from certain lawyers close to the Black Bloc circles.

Where do the Black Blox come from?

The social background of the Black Blox is different from that of the Yellow Vests. The Black Blox belong to the middle class, upper-middle class, while the Yellow Vests belong to the middle class, lower-middle class. The Black Blox are eloquent and educated, according to the majority, sons of wealthy bourgeois families, whose parents are lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. They themselves also mostly have similar jobs.

The Black Blox are interested in extending their patronage to the Yellows and protecting them. Even if their social origins are different, their goals are common, say the Blacks, who identify themselves as Yellows as well.

The connection between the black-clad people is efficient and organized. They come to the demonstrations in Paris from Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Marais“B, from Canada, to reinforce the locals. And in the same way they come to other events, such as international summits, in other countries. To their credit, criminologist Alan Bower continues to explain, they avoid taking actions that would put human life at risk. They would never, for example, set fire to a bank with residential apartments above it, as happened in the 18th act, in which a mother and son were saved at the last minute thanks to the brave intervention of a firefighter.

The Black Bloks operate according to defined codes and during the demonstrations they communicate with each other using agreed-upon signs, like members of a secret society. With their kind assistance, the amateur Yellows become more professional.

The Yellows' hatred of Emmanuel Macron

Journalist Emmanuelle Anisson of Le Nouvelle Observateur, who follows the Yellow Vests, talks to them, and attends their rallies, explains that hatred for Macron is growing. Their slogan is “Everything but Macron.” As the number of wounded in the ranks of the Yellow Vests increases, so does the hatred.

The moderates among them, who argue that the violent weekly demonstrations should be stopped and a political path should be chosen, are encountering opposition from the majority. Forming a list and running in the European Parliament elections is out of the question, according to most yellows. They are not interested in being represented by leaders who belong to a system they abhor. Will the violence continue and increase? What future for the yellow vest movement and what future for the second half of Emmanuel Macron's term? Time will tell.