Table of Contents
PARIS
PARIS
PARIS
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PARIS UNREST
France is facing its worst civil unrest in 50 years. More than 400 people have been arrested in Paris alone, besides 133 people, including 23 security personnel, being injured so far. This is the worst unrest that Paris has seen since 1968.
REASONS FOR UNREST
- French citizens took to the streets on November 17 (local time) to protest sharp fuel hikes on petrol and diesel levied to reduce emissions and push people toward more environmentally friendly vehicles.
- The tax, which was approved in 2017, raised the price of petrol by 7.6 cents per litre on diesel and 3.9 cents per litre on petrol.
- These taxes, combined with an October oil price surge, hit citizens’ pockets hard.
- A further hike is slated to hit on January 1, 2019, for a further 6.5 cents per litre on diesel and 2.9 cents per litre on petrol.
THE PROTESTS
The protests were largely organised on social media, where they exploded in popularity without clear leadership. A petition that began circulating online in May to lower fuel prices generated over 300,000 signatures by mid-October.
YELLOW VESTS
The yellow vests are the symbol of the current movement. Motorists in France have been required since 2008 to keep the reflective, high-visibility vests — “les gilets jaunes” in French — in their vehicles.
FRANCE RIGHT WING GETTING STRONG
FRANCE RIGHT WING GETTING STRONG
FRANCE’S FERTILITY RATE WORRIES
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THE FERTILITY RATE ISSUE
France and Ireland used to stand out as the two European countries in which women had, on average, close to the 2.1 offspring needed to hit the population replacement rate. Last year, however, the number of babies French women are expected to have in their lifetimes dropped to 1.88
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