From social networks to clashes with law enforcement, story of a year of social storm caused by a simple tax hike.

Almost a year after the act 1 of November 17, 2018, the point on the data to be retained of this unprecedented mobilization.

On November 17, 2018, the yellow jackets organized the first act of their movement. Almost a year later, we takes stock in figures on this mobilization that been marked Saturday November 17 by its 53rd act.

Participation and popularity

On Saturday, November 17, 2018, the first day of the yellow vests movement, 282,000 people mobilized in France. The record, in one year of movement.

Since then, the mobilization has only decreased. For act 50, on October 26, they were only a few thousand, 13,250 in all France, according to the Yellow Number, a Facebook group of yellow jackets that lists the participation every Saturday. And a few more thousands this Saturday.

On November 28, according to an Odoxa-Dentsu Consulting survey, 84% of French people supported the movement. On October 3, according to an Elabe survey , they were only 47%.

In the European elections, 2 lists were created by members of the yellow jackets movement. The first, the Yellow Alliance, led by singer Francis Lalanne, which encompassed several initiatives, including the Citizens’ Initiative Rally (RIC). After leaving the RIC list, Christophe Chalençon, another mediatized and controversial face, launched Evolution citoyenne. Results: 0.54% for the Lalanne list, just 0.1% for the Chalençon list.

Death, injury and justice

In one year, 11 people lost their lives during the demonstrations. None since January. Two yellow jackets succumbed to heart attacks. The Algerian Zineb Redouane, 80, died in her apartment in Marseille, after receiving a tear gas grenade in her face during a walk in yellow jackets. The other victims were in traffic accidents.

There were 4439 wounded, according to a count of the Ministry of the Interior arrested on October 4. 1944 side law enforcement (police and gendarmes especially, some firefighters too). 2495 yellow jackets side. Among them, 24 were blind in one eye, 5 had the hand torn off and one lost the sense of smell.

Place Beauvau has recorded 12,908 shots of LBD (defensive ball launchers) since November 17. A total of 12,107 people were arrested in six months, of whose 10,718 were detained. According to the latest figures of the Chancellery, there were nearly 2000 convictions, 40% of which were in prison, and the same number of cases closed.

313 investigations for suspicion of police violence were opened by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN). Two-thirds of them have been brought to justice, according to the Interior Ministry. 23 investigations concern the police force, through the General Inspectorate of the National police force. Five were sent to the prosecutor’s office.

Economic impact

In March 2019, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire had calculated the cost of damage to €200 million. From 17 November to 29 May, insurance companies assessed property damage at €217 million, more than half of which affected craftsmen, traders and service providers.

A parliamentary report presented in July 2019 quantified the losses for professionals in the hotel and restaurant sector to €850 million. 2987 automatic radars were damaged, including 2410 destroyed, which cost €23 million. The over-mobilization of thousands of security officials and military personnel represented a charge of €45.98 million, €30 million for the police and €16 million for the police force.

According to INSEE, French growth lost 0.1 point because of the dispute. A “relatively moderate” impact according to the institute, equivalent to that of the strike of the SNCF in 2018. But the French Observatory of Economic Conditions (OFCE), noted nevertheless that in the long term, the growth rate of the country should increase by 0.3% points of GDP, thanks to emergency measures implemented under the pressure of yellow jackets.