Over the weekend some 125,000 people across France donned yellow safety jackets. They rallied against President Emmanuel Macron and the high cost of living in France. In Paris, armored vehicles and almost ten thousand police tried to contain the demonstrators.
Many famous Paris tourist spots were locked down during a fourth weekend of protests. Almost 1400 people were arrested and dozens of people were injured. Because of the increased police presence there appeared to be fewer outbreaks of mass violence that had plagued Paris on previous weekends.
The spark that led to this outbreak of rioting in France and in Paris in particular, was the attempt by President Macron to impose a significant increase in taxation on fossil fuels in France.
Apparently the French have decided that such heavy taxation of fossil fuels isn’t worth it. Who cares about an uncertain and future rise in temperatures on the planet when one can’t afford to heat one’s home now, or drive one’s car to work or the market? Keep in mind that currently gas in France is more than $6.00 a gallon.
Of course, there is no conclusive evidence that carbon emissions markedly affect global temperatures. And most human activities release carbon into the atmosphere, some to a greater extent than fossil fuels. On top of this is the fact that the last two years has seen the largest DECREASE in planetary temperatures since such recording was undertaken (0.56 C).
Since the French government announced on Wednesday that the fuel tax rise had been scrapped from the 2019 budget after weeks of protests and the worst rioting in Paris in decades, why have the protests continued? It may be that this attempt by the government to run roughshod over its citizens was the proverbial last straw.
The French people may be fed up with what they perceive as Orwellian policies that seem to benefit those in power while leaving the common people to scratch for themselves. Remember Macron was elected through support from the established power elites while a more populist-oriented candidate lost.
Could this be Europe’s “Arab Spring?” The “yellow vest” protests appear to be spreading. Protests were reported in Belgium and The Netherlands. From Brussels the AP reported:
Protests also took place in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The common theme seemed to be “The government is not there for the people. It is there to protect its own interests.”
Does this sound familiar? Are more people around the world waking up to the extensive corruption and self-interest of the world’s elite politicians? One can only hope so.