Students join the Yellow Jackets protests.

French students block the streets in Bordeaux. The Guardian/AFP.

Hundreds of students have joined widespread protests against the government of Emmanuel Macron in France. The Guardian. The students are protesting against education reforms. At more than 100 schools across the country, students walked out of classes and blockaded streets. The students were not the only protests on Monday as the Yellow Jackets blocked access to 11 fuel depots causing some fuel shortages at 70 gas stations. Though the Prime Minister of France is due to meet with members of the Yellow Jackets, but since the movement has no clear hierarchy or leadership, little is expected from the meeting. 

My Comment:

It sounds as though the situation in France is no longer in control. With hundreds of students joining up with their own protest against the government it looks like pretty much everyone is against them. The goals of the students are a bit different than the wider Yellow Jackets movement as they are protesting against education reform, but in general they are just as angry with the government as everyone else is. 

If the students join the larger Yellow Jackets movement it will be a huge increase in the number of protesters. They will be able to shut down things even more effectively. Already the Yellow Jackets are having a major impact on what they are shutting down, if the students join them they can essentially shut down the country. 

But the Yellow Jackets might not even need the students. Shutting down fuel depots alone might be enough to bring the French government to their knees. Gasoline is the blood of any countries economy and trade and manufacturing doesn't happen without the infrastructure to transport commodities. 

Shutting down fuel depots is a huge escalation and will likely draw a response. The French government knows that fuel is hugely important and not having access to it will likely shut down the economy. That will make people even more angry and likely to join the protesters. 

I have heard that the protests have even targeted the Rungis Wholesale Market, which is the largest wholesale market in the world. I haven't been able to confirm that independently and the only source I have is Twitter, so that might end up being fake news. If not though, it will have huge repercussions throughout France and even beyond. 

I have also seen reports of paramedics, firefighters and police joining the protests. Again, I don't have a news media source for this but I have seen videos that seem to confirm these reports. If true that means that the lower levels of the French government are not supporting the government anymore. How widespread that support remains to be seen. 

As far as Macron goes, it seems clear that he isn't going to offer up any concessions to the Yellow Jackets. That's a huge mistake and I don't think he quite understands how much danger he is in. It's not just a matter of him losing power, that seems inevitable at this point, he might even end up in exile or worse...

I think the only way out for him is if he listens to the Yellow Jackets demands and gives them something. Repealing the gas tax is pretty much a bare minimum and even that might not be enough anymore. If he did that he might have a chance of staying in power for the rest of his term but if he doesn't I am guessing he will be removed from power, either through resignation, revolution or through other means.

Of course there is always the option of a crackdown. That would probably lead to complete government collapse or a civil war. Assuming that the police and military even follow orders to attack the protesters, doing so would not end well for France. Remember, the Syria situation was relatively peaceful until regime forces opened up on the crowds. A crackdown is probably the worst solution for anyone because it won't work and will result in a large amount of violence. 

This weekend will be the critical juncture. Most of the Yellow Jacket protesters are working class people who are busy during the week. They can't protest during the week because they need to work. Next weekend will likely have huge protests and they may shut down the entire country. I will be watching the protests very closely next weekend.