I’m sure you’ve heard the old bromide attributed to Charles de Gaulle, who wondered how it was possible to govern a country like France, with its 246 different kinds of cheese.
Shortly before Macron’s visit to Normandy to launch Le Grand Débat, I received a lecture on « individualism » from a yellow-vested protester at a roundabout known colorfully as the Rond-Point des Vaches — the Roundabout of Cows. (A side note: in France, « la vache! » is a mild curse, as well as a metaphor for obedient taxpayers who are constantly being pushed around and milked).
« No one is in charge here, » protester Olivier Bruneau, a 42-year-old factory worker, told me. « But everyone has a reason for joining in the movement. » Welcome to Normandy.
The Rond-Point des Vaches has been occupied continuously from the very beginning of the Yellow Vest movement by « individualists » huddled around burning piles of wooden transport pallets. Each has a slightly different set of reasons for being here.
As Denis Lacorne, senior research fellow at the prestigious Sciences Po, told me, « The Yellow Vest protests create a kind of artificial, but real, solidarity among protesters. They’re isolated in their rural settings and suddenly they meet people like them, make friends and have a good time. »
Why here? I asked Bruneau. Well, he patiently explained, it is a place of maximum visibility for trucks passing from the coast through Normandy to other parts of France and Europe — traffic that the protesters can easily block from time to time, creating impressive traffic jams.
