Are the demands made by the Yellow Vests movement in France present in the presidential campaign?

This is the question that the Quebec daily La Presse tries to answer, in an article published on Tuesday March 22, by noting the promise of amnesty made by Jean-Luc Mélenchon to the Yellow Vests condemned by French justice.

"The leader of La France insoumise is the only presidential candidate to openly want to rehabilitate the Yellow Vests, writes Jean-Christophe Laurence, the author of the article. The electoral campaign will probably not be played on this debate. On the other hand, we see that certain measures carried by the Yellow Vests have infused into the presidential programs, a sign that the movement has not been in vain, even if the volcano seems extinct.

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The newspaper thus notes that the candidate of La France insoumise, but also eight other candidates, propose in their program one of the flagship demands of the Yellow Vests: the citizens' initiative referendum (RIC).

"Only Emmanuel Macron, Éric Zemmour and the far-left candidate Nathalie Artaud are completely unaware of it", indicates the author.

Purchasing power, the other demand at the heart of the movement two years ago, is also very present.

But for Olivier Ihl, professor of politics at the University of Grenoble interviewed by La Presse, the proposals on the increase in wages, the blocking of energy prices or basic necessities concern "only half" the initial demands of the Yellow Vests.

A movement that could rebound

"The Yellow Vests were people from the lower middle class who rejected the State's taxation, which was considered excessive. Whereas here, we are addressing the working classes who, apart from the price of gasoline, are worried about the price of pasta or bread. It's inflation, the cost of living in general. The current economic context," explains the professor.

The Quebec daily also interviewed a former Yellow Vest, Fabrice Grimal, author of the book "A Year in Yellow", for whom the movement ended in failure.

"Hundreds have languished in prison. Hundreds have been injured. All that for what? For nothing. Politically, nothing has changed. The system is getting worse and worse," he says.

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The author of the article points out, however, that many members of the Yellow Vests have recycled themselves in the anti-sanitary pass movement and that popular anger could rebound thanks to "a spark".

This is also explained by Christian Le Bart, teacher at the Institute of Political Studies in Rennes and author of the book "Little sociology of yellow vests", also interviewed by La Presse.

"This movement can be reborn. The problem of the cost of living is not settled, far from it, and we can very well have a revival, either with the same people or with others. Especially since the Yellow Vests left a fairly strong imprint on public opinion, but ultimately quite positive, despite the violence," he concludes.

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