Title: Why the French are protesting
Headings: Yellow vests, blue vests and red scarves — Here’s why the French are protesting
Yellow vests, blue vests and red scarves — Here’s why the French are protesting
What’s going on in France?
How and why did protests start?
November 17
Why are they called Yellow Vests?
Why did protests escalate?
So, who are the Red Scarves?
What about the Blue Vests?
What has the government done about protests?
How is Macron doing?

Content: Last Sunday, counter-demonstrations were held by an alliance of pro-democracy groups, the largest of which being the Red Scarves and Blue Vests. They oppose the violence seen at recent Yellow Vest protests and say they are defending the republic. How and why did protests start? It’s believed that the protests started in mid-October when an accordionist from Brittany, in northwest France, uploaded a video to the internet in which she lambasted French President Emmanuel Macron, “Monsieur Macron,” for his policies and treatment of taxpayers’ money. Listing her grievances in the video, Jacline Mouraud says Macron had been “hounding” drivers since taking office in May 2017, France 24 reported. The video went viral and a petition to bring down the price of fuel went online, garnering thousands of signatures. Some also attribute the start of the Yellow Vest element to Ghislain Coutard, a car mechanic from southern France. He posted a video on social media in late October calling on people to show their opposition to the fuel tax rises by wearing a high-visibility yellow jacket and calling on them to join a protest on November 17. The video has been viewed 5.5 million times. Protestors block an access to the A11 and A 28 highways near Le Mans, northwestern France, on November 18, 2018 a day after tens of thousands of people blocked roads across France in a ‘yellow vest’ protest against high fuel prices.