Yellow vest protests are erupting around the world – but are they a passing fad?

Feb 7, 2019

A view of the Place de la Republique as protesters wearing yellow vests gather during a national day of protest by the "yellow vests" movement in Paris, France, December 8, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1527268ED0

The yellow vests first seen in the French protests have been adopted by protesters in other countries. Image: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Dawn Brancati

Visiting Scholar, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University

Adrian Lucardi

Assistant Professor of Political Science, ITAM

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how France is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

France

A protester wears a vest pin on which is read:

Image: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on France
See all

World's largest white hydrogen deposit found in France

Jacques Pironon and Philippe de Donato

September 15, 2023

Paris is keeping buildings cool with river water, instead of air conditioning

Antonia Cimini

September 12, 2023

Olympic swimming in the Seine highlights efforts to clean up city rivers worldwide

Gary Osmond and Rebecca Olive

August 8, 2023

1:18

Notre Dame Fire Exposes the Secret Behind Its Longevity

What is UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage? And what's on it?

Stephen Hall

February 8, 2023

This year's Nobel Prize in Literature went to Annie Ernaux. Who is she and what does she write about?

Siobhán McIlvanney

October 10, 2022

Yellow vest protests are erupting around the world – but are they a passing fad?

Dawn Brancati

Adrian Lucardi

Share:

Explore and monitor how France is affecting economies, industries and global issues

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

France

Have you read?

Dear France... President Emmanuel Macron writes an open letter to quell 'yellow vest' unrest

Why press freedom should be at the top of everyone’s agenda

Thousands of Belgian schoolchildren have gone on strike to protest climate change

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda Weekly

More on France
See all

Adrian Lucardi

Share:

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}}Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

France

Have you read?

Dear France... President Emmanuel Macron writes an open letter to quell 'yellow vest' unrest

Why press freedom should be at the top of everyone’s agenda

Thousands of Belgian schoolchildren have gone on strike to protest climate change

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;}Weekly

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

The Agenda Weekly