France‘s grassroots, anti-establishment “yellow vest” movement is poised to take its fight into the political arena with at least 10 candidates preparing to run for seats in the European Parliament.
The populist movement sprang up in France in November amid widespread anger over soaring fuel taxes and dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron, whom they accuse of being a president of the rich.
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched every weekend through the streets of Paris, wearing the now-iconic yellow vests that French motorists are required by law to keep in their vehicles in case of emergency.
WATCH BELOW: Yellow vests stage a 10th week of protests in France
Those yellow vests have become an international symbol for general dissatisfaction with the establishment, although the movement has thus far avoided categorization on the political spectrum.
Elements of the far-left and far-right have sought to use the yellow vests for their own purposes, but the future of the movement may rest with a handful of blue-collar activists who are now seeking political office.
At the head of the pack is Ingrid Levavasseur, a 31-year-old assistant nurse who is quickly emerging as the face – if not the official leader – of the loosely organized group’s political aspirations.
Levavasseur is a single mother of two from Normandy who says she’s determined to challenge government arrogance. She appears regularly on French TV to discuss the yellow vest movement, and was poised to join the channel BFMTV as a commentator last month.
However, she cancelled those plans amid backlash from others in the yellow vest movement, who view the mainstream media with suspicion.
Now she’ll try to spearhead an official political campaign made up of angry people who shun long-standing institutions – a daunting task that could potentially create a rift within the yellow vests.
A spokesperson for the yellow vests said Wednesday that Levavasseur will be one of 10 candidates running in the May 26 European Parliament elections, under a new political party called the Ralliement d’Initiative Citoyenne (RIC), or Citizen Initiative Rally in English. The RIC has yet to release a comprehensive platform.
“The citizen movement … has shown the need to transform the anger into a political project capable of giving answers to the French people who have supported it,” the loosely grouped movement said in a statement.
The other nine candidates range in age from 29 to 53, and come from a variety of different professions, including a lawyer, a small business manager, another health-care worker and a stay-at-home mom.
WATCH BELOW: Former pro boxer punches French police officer during yellow vest riot
The list does not include several other prominent figures in the yellow vest movement, such as Eric Drouet, Benjamin Cauchy or Thierry Paul Vallette, who have emerged at various times as representatives of the group.
The RIC is looking for members of the ongoing protests to run for office, not “technocrats,” spokesperson Hayk Shahinyan told the French daily Le Figaro. Shahinyan said the party has so far raised 10 per cent of the approximately $1-million fee required to field candidates in the election. It’s also looking to add 69 more candidates by Feb. 10.
The yellow vests could take 13 per cent of the vote in May, according to an Elabe poll on Wednesday for BFMTV. That would put it behind President Macron’s party Republique en Marche (Republic On the Move) party with 22.5 per cent and the far right Rassemblement National (National Rally) — formerly the National Front — with 17.5 per cent.
WATCH BELOW: Police hit ‘yellow vest’ protesters with water cannon and tear gas
The yellow vests could follow in the path of the Occupy movement and crumble after several weeks of protests. However, they could also crystallize around the RIC and become an influential party like the Five Star Movement, a similar populist group that now governs in Italy.
The yellow vests have already won political change in France, where President Macron backed down from his plans to hike fuel taxes last December, and launched a national debate to address their demands last week. However, he’s still trying to find a way to quell the protest movement altogether.
WATCH BELOW: Macron offers concessions to yellow vest protesters
The weekend protests have occasionally turned violent, with police and protesters clashing in the streets of Paris and elsewhere. Ten people have died in protest-related traffic accidents, and hundreds have been injured since the protests kicked off on Nov. 17.
“It’s not normal to treat people the way we are being treated,” yellow vest protester Juliette Rebet told AP earlier this month. “We have injured people every Saturday.”
— With files from Reuters and Associated Press
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