Saturday, August 24, 2019

YELLOW VESTS FRANCE WEEK 41: G 7 SUMMIT PROTESTS AND THE TRADITION CONTINUES



The Yellow Vests on the streets of Paris again for Week 41 of protests and at other locations across the country.






The procession stepping off at around 215 pm Paris time, 815 am Eastern US time.


But much attention focused on the southwest of France where the kind of globalization the Yellow Vests movement protests against is on full display this weekend at the G7 summit.

Coordinated "green" policies like President Emmanuel Macron's obsession with the wildfires in the Amazon remind us of Macron's domestic agenda of gasoline taxes in the name of "green" that helped to spark the Yellow Vests movement in the first place.


The G 7 meeting is at Biarritz, a resort community on the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border.


Some 13,000 plus police deployed in the area including large numbers of mobile gendarmes and CRS riot police  (six thousand).

Some nine thousand protesters estimated in the area where protests are being allowed to the southwest of Biarritz at Urrugne and Hendaye.   Their numbers appeared to have swelled to some 15-thousand as the day went on Saturday.

The 'black blocs' anarchists in evidence among the protesters with Friday night confrontations involving the anarchists and police.    The two hour fight at the weekend protest camp included the use of tear gas grenades by the police.

Getting back to the Paris protest, Yellow Vests continue to offer a strong message in favor of referendums.       The signs that say 'RIC' are advocating a "Citizens Initiative Referendum".

Reporting from AFP news agency and BFM-TV on today's Paris Yellow Vests includes comments from Olivier Pham, a 48 year old maintenance man who describes himself as being on the "Right".

Pham says the 'RIC' concept works in California and Switzerland saying for France:


"It would be very good.  It would not be anarchy."



Pham also says that he was:


"....shocked by the violence of some police officers..."



at the Yellow Vests protests.


One protester named Annie, age 72, says:


"The price of gas has gone up, the government.....is despising us.    We are being robbed of money for giant lobsters."


Her comments a reference to the former Minister of the Environment Francois Du Rugy.

Du Rugy forced to resign after a French media report on his spending of the taxpayers money for lobster dinners and the refurbishing of his apartment, among other things.


In other parts of France Week 41 included a procession in Le Mans......YELLOW VESTS WEEK 41 LE MANS

And a typical Yellow Vests protest manifested itself at a toll station at La Ciotat on the Mediterranean coast.    The Yellow Vests shutting down the toll collecting operation of a private company given control of the highway by the government.....YELLOW VESTS WEEK 41 TOLL STATION PROTEST LA CIOTAT


This is a two hour video showing the Yellow Vests in Toulouse today.......YELLOW VESTS WEEK 41 TOULOUSE 8/24/2019


Late in the day Saturday (Today) this video stream was coming from southwestern France near Biarritz where protesters were gathered many appearing to be black blocs anarchists....LINK


Summing up the Yellow Vests protests continue with their original issues like high gas prices caused by taxes, tolls imposed on privatized highways and the call for citizen referendums all on the table.

The left-wing elements of the anarchists continue to be around, this time focusing their energies on the G7 summit area itself.

The who, what where why etc. of their activities may be everything from their leftist nature to manipulation by government police and intelligence agencies to discredit the Yellow Vests movement as a whole.

For now, their numbers may be reduced, but the Yellow Vests continue to make their presence known throughout France every Saturday.





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