Kim Jeong-do
(Socialism, communism, democratic labor's unions that Struggling, and activists who have a particular attachment to long-term struggle workplaces. From December 5, 2018 to January 1, 2019, The writer stayed in Paris, the mainstream of history, where the waves of the yellow vest movement are sweeping. The writer participated in six demonstrations in Paris on December 8, 15, 22, 24, 29, and 31 December. The following article focuses on the vivid testimonies, and photographs that taking directly himself about the yellow vest movement the writer have experienced in Paris.)
* Writer's comment : Because this article was written on January 5, 2019, I seek your understanding. This article may be different from nowadays current movement. And it was also written as a reportage technique based on my vivid experience rather than a clear political viewpoint.
1. Macron Demission !
<December 27, 2018. A sticker of the French Communist Party in front of the Paris 10th University (Nanterre). "Stop the plunder. Require the rich to pay!. Public Service Fund! Respect the retiree, stop bleeding! Raise our wages.
Macron of the Republic to look down on people. Macron who despises the Republic.">
Paris is oscillating with the wave of yellow vest movement. The yellow vest movement started with the first large-scale demonstration on November 17, 2018 in Paris. Before the full-fledged writing, I briefly summarized the main requirements of the yellow vest movement. Withdrawal of oil tax increase, Significant increase in minimum wage and retirement pension, Linking all allowances and wages to prices hikes, Nationalization of the fuel and electricity sector (nationally owned), Resurrection of wealth tax(ISF), Equality of social welfare system, Outsourcing (Subcontract) total ban, Enforcement of maximum wage system, The salaries of elected officials are the median of all wage workers, Expanding direct democracy, The total nationalization of whole civilian railway·post office·school, Increase in taxes on large corporations, Making a monthly rent limit, Fair treatment to refugee applicants and so on. "Macron! preferentially, make wealth tax(ISF)! We don't choose between the end day of the world and the end day of month." The slogan like this also appeared. In front of the gap between rich and poor which is deepened by 'tax free for rich people' the consistent policy of Macron political power, it means that the life of ordinary workers and people can't have any choosement that between the end day of the world and the end day of month which days that various taxes and bills are came out and low wages like the end of hair. It is equally miserable and difficult for any choice. So there is no choice.
At the core, the struggle is originated from the demanding withdrawal of oil tax increase and the demanding of resurrection of wealth tax(ISF). Now the struggle front is expanding, leading to the demission of Macron's political power regime and raising questions about the capitalist system. As of January 4, 2019, it is spreading across France and across Europe and across the whole world. According to a report by one of the French press, the situation of the wave of yellow vests exceeded one million people in whole the demonstration. From November 17 to December 17 last year for one month, in the whole France, 4,570 people were arrested, of whom 3,747 were prosecuted and convicted. A large number of people are still waiting for trial, and of the arrested persons, 216 in the whole France were imprisoned and detained. This is the part of one a tremendous record in the history of social movements.
Meanwhile, Eric Drouet, a truck driver and spokesman of the yellow vest movement, has been subjected to two violent arrests on December 22, 2018 and January 2, 2019. Eric's has given crime is 'undeclared protest organizers'. This is the one of a symbolic event that shows how Macron's political power considers the yellow vest movement. Eric is on trial for a criminal trial on February 15th. The French people were walking down the street for a peace march, and the people protecting Eric were violently surrounded by police. There were also pregnant women and the elderly who were just walking down the street, and the French police did indiscriminate assault without considering it.
As the yellow vest movement widened and the anger of the people of Paris spread, the Macron's political power introduced a fraudulent emoticon that seemed to step back from the early hard-line tactics and accept the demands of the yellow vests. However, it still maintains a strong repression frame on the demonstration, even by using Chemical gas armored vehicles, tear gas, extreme plastic pipes, steel pipes, hard wood pipes and small hand grenades. It is a situation that injured and extreme injured people are increasing exponentially by the ruthless violence of the police, regardless of age and sex. Numerous French people are being sacrificed by tear gas, pepper gun armored vehicles and flash balls, which are no longer available in South Korea. There are also cases where a yellow vest is extreme injured because of the target firing(aiming shooting) of the police.
2. The barricades that moving forward : The barricades block the streets, but open the roads!
<December 29, 2018. Barricades which installed in the Convention street of 15th district of Paris.>
In addition to the numbers and examples mentioned above, the situation in which I stay in Paris for a month, directly vividly seeing with eyes, listening with ear and feeling with my chest is made me even more anger. On December 8th, when I have a lunch in restaurant, tear gas flowed into the alley and inside the restaurant. I rapidly to eat and participated the demonstration. I went to the street, and I naturally joined the march. This is because December 8 was the day when the fourth large-scale demonstration was scheduled. There have been confrontations with between police and the barricades, the street marches to across the streets of Paris. The struggle that began in the morning continued until the sun set and it became night. We repeatedly walked, ran, run away, smashed, and thrown. Sometimes I got sick of nausea, tears and runny nose because of the chemical gas smoke and pepper fog flash ball. At that time, spontaneously organized 'street medic' comrades appeared and treated me with eye drops and spray. I want to add a little exaggeration. I told my comrades that I came here to support the yellow vest movement from Korea. When I said that, they were very happy. And I will never forget the warm consideration of my comrades, and the emergency relief items that have been brought to me. Both the demonstrator and the police were quickly again. Many people also prepared goggles and masks to defend the tear chemical gas, and the people suddenly marched on the diverse roads and streets to occupy them. By the closure by the political power and the general strike of workers, most of the major tourist attractions, museums and art galleries were closed and most of the public transportation was cut off. The streets, roads, and squares were liberated place(Liberation square) by the huge struggle of the people.
<December 8, 2018. On the left side is a slogan "Make the tax". Starbucks store was destroyed by angry people.>
Numerous Starbucks, McDonalds, luxury shops, car windows and goods were destroyed by furious people. When someone was breaking the Starbucks store windows diligently, the passerby asked me, "Why are people breaking Starbucks?" I answered as follows. "Starbucks supports the American imperialists and the Israeli army. This eventually helps to slaughter Palestinian people. So we have to attack Starbucks. And the coffee here is the result of exploiting the Third World people, and Starbucks itself is a symbol of capitalism." The person who asked me agreed me with his thumbs up. Since McDonald is a symbol of capitalism and a symbol of 'Pax Americana', the attack about McDonald was understood as a sign of the justice anger of the people about this system. There were two or three violent arrests of the young men who had gone before me suddenly by police, and I didn't get arrested with various wisdom. I wondered how the French people could come up with such a struggle.
The barricades by fire, made up of burning shop products, burning trash cans, and metal-based traffic control lines, blocked the streets of police and armored vehicles. However, The barricades was pointing to the people showed the 'direction' to go and opened the liberated 'road'. The barricades continued to moving forward.
3. Dialectic of Destruction and Creation : 'Fire' also blocks the streets, but opens the roads!
In the liberated squares and streets, the flames which made by the angry people soared. The angry people occupied the Bastille square, Concorde square, Champs-Elysees street, and major roads and streets inside and outside Paris. Before I stayed in Paris, it was said that the guillotine appeared symbolically. I occupied the square of Bastille, the symbol of the French Revolution, with my yellow vest comrades. On the Bastille Square sign there was a slogan written by someone like this : "We oppose the dictatorship. Macron Demission!". The yellow vests voluntarily blocked roads and controlled traffic, checking the driver's possession of a yellow vest, and slowly adjusted the traffic volume. I have heard that yellow vests in the suburbs of Paris are blocking roads, occupying highways, including blocking freight trucks that head for Amazon, Louis Vuitton, and large malls. Blocking the flow of logistics and traffic to showed the strength of the people formed from below. Through this, the people of Paris were constantly aware of where the driving forces that make up society originated, and steadily recognized the source of class power.
<December 8, 2018. An angry people set fire to the streets while marching. This acted as a barricade to slow police suppression.>
I blocked fire truck coming from somewhere acrossing the yellow vests. And in front of fire truck, I demanded to firefighter's general strike and demanded don't turn off the fire. I had a short argument with the moderates who made the way for the fire truck to turn off the fire. I said like follows to the moderates. "We have to making a fire more than now. If we do that things, maybe then Macron will listen more than now, about our protest." And I said one more, like follows. "Because nationality is not important, my south korean nationality is not related to I participating in demonstrations. I am an internationalist." We, who were argued in front of the roads occupied by the yellow vests and the barricades formed by fire, embodied the dialectic of destruction and creation in the body. The fire made by the angry people cut off the streets, but opened the roads as like the barricades opened the roads.
I walked to attack McDonald with a young man who introduced himself as a Lenin Maoist, and there were people inside. The demonstrator did not attack the shops inside being people. I could not even witness an attack on a citizen who is on his way, or a behavior that was remarkably unjust in my view. I remember the young people who were arrested and attacked by a police stick in front of me. Police officers who trample young people with their iron sticks and military footwears are much more social scientifically more unjust than the discriminated people who attack collectively closed shops because don't have the money, shoes, clothes, and champagne. As I walked through the street with my yellow vest comrades, I set fire to a posters of ultra-right-wing nationalism (nationalism is the right-wing extremist in France) party leader. (or we tore the poster) Through this, I shared feelings with French youths. We thinked that this man was no different from a fascist or a nazist.
Meanwhile, as the confrontation with the police continued during the street march, we were almost confined by the police on the streets. The chemical tear gas and flashballs fired by the police flew to us, and we were wearing gloves and throwing them back at the police. This pattern has been repeated several times. Also police and soldiers armed with guns, grenades and tear gas, illegally checked people on the street. They illegally checked people's belongings, I witnessed arrests of those who resisted to them. Street detention and frontal breakthrough or detours of demonstrators were common situation during the street march.
On the night before Christmas on December 24, a small struggle and march followed in the streets of Degol Square and Champs Elysees in front of the Arc de Triumph of Etoile. Before the police officer surrounded the Arc de Triomphe on the same day, the yellow vests joined the De Gaulle Square for a short time and advanced to the Arc de Triomphe. However, my yellow vests were soon surrounded by the police in front of the Arc de Triomphe, and there was a situation where the police were violently arrest some yellow vests, even though they were standing peacefully. We were pushed to the direction of the Champs Elysees Street by police. The number of yellow vest comrades who could not made large-scale marches and who could not fight cops because the lack of numbers. So we spreaded our witty struggle. It was continued almost night until Christmas morning. And around the square centered around the Arc de Triomphe, sometimes we went around the streets of the square and the Champs-Elysées, protesting the police and shouting relief. We played with the people who are playing and dancing in the streets, shouting 'Macron Demission' and playing the dance.
4. "A.C.A.B." Journaliste ! Collabo !
"A.C.A.B." Sometimes it is the slogan, the most simple and impressive slogan I have ever had while avoiding the violence of the police, sometimes walking the streets plainly. This was the most commonly found slogan on the streets, with the "Macron Demission". "A.C.A.B." is a slang word and an abbreviation. "All Cops Are Bastards, All Capitalist Are Bastards, All Colors Are Beautiful," That means anti-capitalism, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, and anti-racism etc.
On the 29th, so-called 'guidelines', in which implicit proposal were recorded, were transmitted through the SNS. They had to bring lipstick and cork to BFM TV broadcast stations. I met yellow vests comrades in front of broadcast stations. I asked the yellow vest comrades and I knew what 'lipstick and cork' meant, it was very sublime and had a good meaning. Meanwhile, police violence was hurt because it was too ruthless, and lipstick and cork were the purpose of preparing it. The yellow vests who gathered in front of the broadcast stations began to write their blood type on the forehead or cheek with lipstick or cork. One comrade asked me my blood type and she wrote my blood type on my forehead. Lipstick and cork were the idea that when we were bleeding by the violence of the police, when the emergency occurred, everyone was to unite and to quickly find the blood donor. And 'gathering in front of the broadcast stations' was to protest the French conservative public broadcast stations, who is a loyal dog of the regime of Macron. The yellow vests occupied whole bridges and roads near the broadcast stations, surrounded the broadcast stations building and continued to protest. That is because BFM TV repeatedly reported on the justifiable and trivial violence scenes of the demonstrator while making distorted, biased reports about the continuing yellow vest movement.
<December 29, 2018. The southwestern of 15th district of Paris. In front of the french conservative public broadcast station BFM TV building. Continuing protest demonstration of yellow vest comrades. On the left is a banner slogan. "The bank governs.">
As always, the police began violently blocking the yellow vests, firing chemical tear gas and stopping people coming and going. At one point, it began to pierce the wall of police by the demonstrator's protest. And after the protest action in front of the broadcast stations, we were able to continue the march toward the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. we walked and ran followed near the riverside of Seine and many alleys. According to news was posted on Facebook that night, streets and cars in front of a newspaper company were burned by the people who justifiably angry about distorted news. In front of the broadcast stations, the yellow vest comrades shouted out numerous times. "Journaliste! Collabo!" And we constantly asked to all people what true journalism is. We shouted out this slogan. "Journalist! Collabo!" And I'm in line with this rhythm and rhyme, I shouted out "Police! Collabo! " And we laughed about my shout. Me and yellow vest comrades, we communicated together and shared a moment's feelings. I was able to feel the power of the yellow vest comrades in front of the regime's newspapers and broadcast stations. As I continued to protest with my yellow vest comrades, I could directly feel myself the meaning of the sentence "we will do as we say."
5. Demand impossible things. "Capitalism abolition! Revolution viva!"
<December 22, 2018. The bank was plastered by plywood. And the slogan on it, "Destroy! the Bank. Fuck the capitalism." On the left is a broken ATM machine.>
It has been 50 years since the '68 Revolution(May 68)' triggered by the demand for democratization in Paris Nanterre(10th) University. Century have changed. And the most intense anti-government struggle in France has been taking place since the 68 Revolution. "We have been patient for 50 years since 'May 68'. Macron is no different from Louis XVI. It is a dictatorship regime more than De Gaulle. Macron is despising the Republic." and so on. Such these shouting is spreading. It was the symbol of capitalism. Luxury shops and banks were covered with protective plywood as we well know that the proverb "A guilty conscience needs no accuser." There were various radical slogans and people's shouting engraved on the plywood and everywhere in the streets.
Anti-capitalist slogans that pointed to the system in front were also common. "Abolish capitalism! Destroy the bourgeoisie system! Viva Revolution!", "The bank steals our lives. Anti-capitalism! Death to the bourgeoisie!" At the bank ATM where the protesters went, there was also a philosophical graffiti saying, "Insert your life." Near the fountain all over the square. "Capitalism steals our lives. Let's get rid of capitalism. The capitalists do not work but earn money. Let's destroy the bank. If you really want to live your own life, then break the rules set by society. Fuck the capitalism. We are the barricades ourselves." I could found that such these graffiti. We occupied the square based on the fountain near the Opera Garnier. I put it in my heart in the beauty that formed the round around the fountain. I obstinately did not have to answer to the meaningful question "Who is the owner of the streets and the square?" The people were already feeling themselves in struggle.
<December 29, 2018. BFM TV in front of French conservative public broadcasting, protest rally scene. A huge cartel of huge state powers, police, army and broadcasting, media, communications, banking, finance, insurance capital. People in a yellow vest against it. It is a banner containing the satire and metaphor against the current capitalist system as to "where comes from" the power to support (defend) society.>
With the yellow vests comrades, sitting in the fountain and smoking a cigarette, I recalled a postcard written a profound sentence, "People must know 'darkness' to understand the various colors of life."
<December 14, 2018. The slogan written in front of the Sacré-Cœur cathedral on Montmartre Hill, where the Paris Commune began in 1871. "Paris Commune 1871, yellow vests 2018" means. It seems to that 1781 is to be confused with 1871.>
At the entrance of Paris 10th University (Nanterre), which had been visiting for a while, there was a struggle slogan to announce the closure of the school. There was also a slogan : "The state steals your life." I asked the passersby. so I could heard that the whole school was stopped when school workers and university students who participated in the yellow vest movement declared general strike and had occupied the school. Hundreds of junior high schools, high schools, and universities in Paris have also stopped by student's strikes. Not long ago, a high school student had fighting against Macron regime. So they were arrested on a large scale by the police. And they were disciplined on their kneeling. It triggered the anger of the people and fueled the struggle for educational publicness of the teenager and 20's students. It also led to a situation where protesters later confronted the police or in stalemated by the police, mocked the police. The protesters gathered in the square mimicked the scene that disciplined students. The oppression of the system has been turned into an object of ridicule by the people. The system became an object of ridicule. Thus it is symbolizes the collapse of the system.
The French people are once again shouting for a "Revolution." They are recalling the Paris Commune in 1871 and the 1968 Revolution. On December 22, a massive demonstration began with a march from the Montmarte hill where the Paris commune struggle began. On one of the walls of the Sacré-Cœur cathedral on the top of the Montmartre hill was the slogan "Paris Commune 1871 yellow vest 2018". The world's first socialist government which began by capturing and fighting cannons on the Montmartre hilltop with its fortified terrains. At the starting point of its, I could met the yellow vest comrades who recalling the Paris Commune and shouting for a revolution. Even if we just only check about the huge historic revolution, such as the Revolution of 1789, the July Revolution of 1830, the February Revolution of 1848, the Paris Commune of 1871, the European Revolution of 1848, the Revolution of 1968. When the ruling class and system could no longer turn calm down the anger of the people, and when the exploited class was no longer able to endure the methods and systems of the ancient, the French people strongly revolted with confident determination. And the world has been collapsed by them. It has been 147 years since the Paris Commune, and now 50 years after the 68th Revolution, the people are calling for a revolution. Will the revolutionary voices of the yellow vests comrades just be dreams? or will it bring about a massive social system change comparable to revolution? We can't confirm it yet. However, certain thing is that the anger of the people has begun to explode for the system that has endured for last 50 years.
The French people's history which have experience that the ruling class was forcibly set on the guillotine in directly through popular revolts and revolution. and the pride of the people built on these revolutionary tradition. People's anger has been blown up by the ignition of oil tax hikes. But it may be because Macron's regime has severely damaged this traditional pride of the people who have been endured anger. Macron's regime which ignored entirely the history of building and winning the people's struggle. The anger of the people is precisely pointing to the capitalist system and Macron's regime, which is trying to turn the wheels of history backwards.
6. Your liberation, my liberation, and the liberation of the exploited people in the whole world. It is one-connected problem.
- For the truly victory of the yellow vests movement through internationalist solidarity!
<December 31, 2018. A child riding a piggyback among the yellow vests of Champs Elysees and waving the Palestinian flag.>
On December 31, the yellow vest comrades gathered together on the streets of Champs Élysées, together for farewell with the end of 2018. I was once again deeply moved at this scene. Because Palestinian families were seen and one child was waving the Palestinian flag on his father's horse(piggyback riding). I could meet comrades again who had met in the December 24th struggle. She was wearing Che Guevara berets. And she was a Muslim woman comrade who wove the street wearing a yellow vest. "I love Gaza. For the freedom of Palestinian! And all the walls from Palestine to Mexico must be collapsed." In her vest, I could find such this slogan. We had an arrest crisis together on December 24th. We also met by chance the December 29th. So we marched together on the December 29th struggle, and we also met by chance on the 31st. I shouted 'liberation of Palestine!' that toward the Palestinian flag and the yellow vest comrades. And when I was given cheered and applaused, it was a touching experience that I could not feel anywhere else. It was an experience that can not be learned, taught, bought by schools, professors, money. Such that experience was as follows. Let's see the lyrics of the "International" of the people who struggling all over the world.
"Nobody, noble people,
Nothing, noble ideology,
Nothing, rood floating in the sky,
They can not save us.
The thing that can bring us back,
It's the only one our fist such as steel."
* Writer's comment : The above lyrics are translated version of 'International'. It is Korean version's verse 2. The above English is that verse 2 of Korean is translated(metaphrased) into English.
Beyond nationality, ethnicity and race, we must be in solidarity. It is not just a lot of absolute instructions or propositions. It is a reality. In order to do the revolution, the yellow vest movement must fight internationally and must solidarite internationally in order to overthrow the capitalist system and truly win. And at that moment, I naturally recalled the famous sentences of Zapatista Native female of the Mexican liberation struggle. "If you came here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you are here because your liberation is closely linked to my liberation, let's work together." Along with this sentence, many moments came to mind from the Algerian national liberation struggle against the imperialists who talked and communicated with the taxi driver from Algeria. And we had talked about the independence movement of the Korean people and criticism of capitalism. All of these things fit together and my heart was touching. Let us fight solidly and internationally for unity and liberation of the whole world's exploited people.
One thing is clear is that even though the yellow vest movement may suffer a temporary decline, it is clearly different from the simple struggle or demonstration so far. This is because it is not a general demonstration that assumes limits from the outset, sets up system-conformable goals, and prepares them. Also, the yellow vest movement will never end with one-time, event-based demonstrations. I think this is the special question that the yellow vest movement give appeal at anti-government, anti-system, and anti-capitalist movements around the world. It is a movement to develop into a challenge to impossibility, an all-out challenge to the system. Ironically, we are in a flood of too many right answers. In the flood of these things, we need not the right answers but the philosophically correct question. We have to give newly appeal throughout the new question. Because, how to throw a question, what kind of struggle to unfold under any slogan may be the deciding factor for a huge stream of history going forward. What should be our question? How much we imagine another world? How freely we imagine? “Give the whole authority to the imagination ability!” Once again, I recall one of the slogans of the 68 Revolution. And I finishing my writing by re-using a quotation. It came from the quoted lyrics of 'Tablo' who leader of hip-hop group 'Epik High'. And I send my heartfelt greetings of solidarity to the Parisien and the yellow vest comrades in the all over the world.
Je t'aime, gilet jaune !
“Genius is not the answer to all questions,
but it is the question to all answers.”
