From Sans Culottes to Gilets Jaunes: Macron’s Marie Antoinette Moment

The concessions Macron’s government has granted to placate the Yellow Vests’ demands—a six-month moratorium on fuel-tax hikes, followed by its outright cancellation—seem too little, too late. “Doesn’t anybody up there get that we’re all on anxiety meds because we’re that miserable?” asked one protester. “We’re not asking for the moon, we just want to have decent lives.” As one protester said last night, “If President Macron is confident in his proposals, he should submit them to a referendum. We’ll see the result.”