Freeman-Woolpert, Sarah

Freeman-Woolpert, Sarah

Sarah Freeman-Woolpert

1 February 2019Feature

Participatory movement is forcing France to reckon with the impact of austerity on the working class

At the beginning of January, 50,000 people flooded the streets of France for the first protest of 2019 organised by the yellow vests, or gilets jaunes.

This protest was a continuation of a national movement for economic justice that has shaken the country since November. While mainstream French and international media have largely characterised the yellow vests as violent troublemakers, many people throughout France see the movement as a long-needed popular uprising against a…