SPIEGEL ONLINE: President Emmanuel Macron proposes a major national debate on the topics of yellow vests. After weeks of protests, he speaks of the "second act" of his reign, indicating a social turnaround. Has the yellow-vein movement already changed French politics?
Levavasseur: For me, Macron has not changed his direction. His goals have remained the same. No matter what we ask, he will always cling to his original ideas. We should not give ourselves any illusions.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: One of his ministers sees in the big public debate, which starts today and should last until March, a chance to change the whole country. What are the chances from your point of view?
Levavasseur: Honestly, Macron is very insincere at this point. He is arrogant and disrespectful of our movement. The big debate he's talking about is really not a debate. Instead, one will give one speech after another. The first debate with Macron will be tomorrow in my department in Normandy. Invited are 700 mayors from our area, mostly from small communities. But how do 701 people want to discuss?
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SPIEGEL ONLINE: In many town halls, citizens are called today to register their worries and demands in grievance books. This goes back to an old custom during the French Revolution. Not a good idea?
Levavasseur: There are around 36,000 communes in France, and only 5000 of them have the grievances. But already the debate begins. How do you want to obtain and seriously evaluate the large number of complaints within a few days and weeks? That is simply impossible.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You are part of a national coordination of yellow vests, which tries to bundle the demands of the movement. Will that succeed?
Levavasseur: We are at the very beginning. A new internet platform will collect all complaints and we will try to classify them, for example under the Labor Law or Social Law domains. Later, we can derive suggestions and demands from them.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are your main demands?
Levavasseur: I'm in favor of tax cuts for staple foods. For example, VAT on milk should be kept to a minimum. The nutrition is really about basic needs.
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Yellow-West protests in France: masks, pyrotechnics and rubber bulletsSPIEGEL ONLINE: You have just signed a yellow vests call for increasing salaries in the nursing profession. Why?
Levavasseur: If the president now sees himself able to raise the salaries of the police, he should also be prepared to pay more to those who help others in their everyday lives. I am a nurse. Our professions are ungrateful, difficult, with few career opportunities. We are constantly confronted with the suffering of the people - and are very badly paid for it.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which professions are representative for the yellow-west movement?
Levavasseur: We have many service providers, bakers, cashiers from the supermarkets, city hall employees. But also workers, mechanics.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are many state employees involved?
Levavasseur: Sure, their salaries have been virtually frozen for eight years. Although there are occasional allowances, such as in the weekend or night service. But the allowances are not counted towards the pension. As a result, many of us will work hard all their lives to end up with a minimum pension.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The Parisian economist Elie Cohen speaks of her movement as a "revolution of the middle class". Do you see yourself as part of a revolution?
Levavasseur: Of course we are in the middle of a revolution! We do not want to hide anymore. We are on the way to change things in this country. There will be a before and a after the yellow vests. Nothing will be the same as before.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do not you just speak for yourself?
Levavasseur: No. Even if we are not that many on the street, we find great popular support. The French are known to scold a lot, then settle for little, to scold again after a short time. Right there we are today: The French have scolded, got a bit, and now they grumble again. And rightly so, because in reality we have not achieved anything yet.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Where does that lead?
Levavasseur: I do not know. Who should help us? Certainly not the unions. We really need to make an effort to move forward with our own proposals.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How can the yellow vests best organize themselves in the future?
Levavasseur: First of all we have to agree. Maybe then we will start a party that gets a lot of attention.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How Macron? He was the last to start a new party.
Levavasseur: Yeah, why not something like that ?! Nevertheless, I would always do everything differently than he did.