Les gilets jaunes

Meanwhile, what exactly will it take for this protest to cease? It seems that all sorts of bandwagons have been hitched to it (sorry about dodgy metaphor). The fuel tax has been reduced. Some people just seem to be relishing a fight and a chance to loot places. Very sad for businesses and services relying on Christmas sales in towns and I was struck by one poster's story about her elderly nieghbour who couldn't get to market to sell her produce. Is France shooting itself in the foot? (Oh no! Another dodgy metaphor)

I was being sarcastic and suggesting a way that’s government could force diesels off the road not suggesting they should actually do it ! MazieD blimey I would be mad !

That was me Jane10 and there are blockages again today (market day). Another of my neighbours put a post on Facebook saying she had been quite supportive of the GJ to start with, but now she was furiously angry at the threat to the small shopkeepers and the potential loss of jobs. There is also quite a lot of damage around, including the taping up of speed cameras and mess left on roundabouts and at the roadside.
We have avoided the blockages by not going out, but some people talk of feeling intimidated when they are stopped.
We have some shortages at petrol stations and some supply issues for supermarkets. One report said the 40% are Front National supporters and 20% hard left.
It is different from the usual demos because it is "organised" via Facebook and the government has had problems finding representatives to talk to.
I have no idea where it is all going, but I fail to see how causing problems for the local economy is going to help anyone.
However it does seem that the police have been far more on top of the Paris protests today.

if you were living with the disruption you might not be so keen on it.
Brussels is partly in lock-down today, Helicopters flying overhead, and public transport disrupted. Some of the road tunnels are closed as last time the protestors were throwing concrete blocks onto the traffic below, lucky no one was killed.
The French news are equating the vandalism in Paris with the Taliban, even Le Arc de Triumphe has been damaged.
A friend of mine was trapped in her office last week as Police cars had been set on fire just outside the door.
Protest yes, but violence never solves anything.
Resturants have been asked to close early tonight in some areas, losing income at a very busy time of year.

That sounds awful. So counterproductive. Please keep safe! Will be thinking of you.

My DD and her Aussie niece are coming to us for Christmas and having a couple of days in Paris on route.
Should they take some gilets Jayne (I give up- yellow) spell check??!

I remember getting tied up with a protest by French farmers in 1961. Fortunately my mother spoke fluent french, having lived in the south of France for a year before the war, so a policeman was able to tell us of another route to avoid the very frightening situation we were suddenly confronted with. As the police made clear, 'we must go or they could kill us' GB plate notwithstanding!!

Now it becomes clear why the eu want an army: to quash dissent. There were some Frexit placards being waved.
And yes, I know what some maybe thinking but anything could happen in Europe now.

Petra anything could happen anywhere, even in the UK.

How are things in France today?

Quiet I think. It is only really Saturdays that are a big problem at the moment. Macron is on TV tonight, so we will see how that goes down.

Having said that I see they have got rolling blockades round the ring road of our nearest city today. They blocked the big shopping centre there on Saturday. If anyone needs to know about anywhere specific then gilets jaunes + place name on Twitter works or the live traffic updates on Google maps show where the traffic is not moving.

Here's a report from the Gers, where we used to live, about the gilets jaunes:
www.ladepeche.fr/article/2018/12/09/2921494-un-peu-de-fumier-dans-les-poches-des-gilets-jaunes.html
It looks as if they've given in?
The locals in the Gers, mostly small peasant farmers, could never be considered wealthy.

ps fumier = manure.

There are some horrific pictures and reports on social media of their protests all over France yesterday, but I haven’t seen/heard anything on mainstream media.

Lots about “Trump” and his shut down of America.

Surely the situation in France and backlash against Macron is more important?

My DS and DiL have just come back from Christmas in France. They say the Gilets Jaunes have lost support amongst the ordinary folk as they have become violent and disrupted supples to supermarkets etc. And now become associated with extremists. The cashier pros in supermarkets had to have security guards as people were getting so cross because of lack of supplies. Interestingly a pro Brexit March of 100 people in London yesterday ended with police being asulted and arrests being made. They were wearing the yellow vests, strange they are copying the French!

This weekend:
www.ladepeche.fr/article/2019/01/05/2935432-suivez-en-direct-l-acte-viii-des-gilets-jaunes.html

Pro brexit hooligans are now wearing yellow vests when they cause disruption on Waterloo bridge and attack the police.. (Sat 5th January)

"Up to 100 protesters clashed with cops in London today as they stormed bridges and set of smoke bombs chanting 'Brexit now'"

www.thesun.co.uk/news/8128139/yellow-vest-protest-london-brexit-police-attacked/

What a contrast with the peaceful march of 700,000 pro-EU demonstrators!

On a lighter note. An elderly Welsh man came to UK for Christmas to visit family. He has lived in France for many years with his french wife.

He referred to them as the "Jilly Jones" which I thought was rather poetic.

The gilets jaunes are still holding up traffic etc here in rural France. I am surprised there has not been more backlash against Trump from the unpaid workers. Maybe they need some gilets jaunes over there.