The Hour of Revolt: The Gilets Jaunes and the Question of Emancipation

“This is not a yellow vest (gilet jaune). It’s much more!!!” Evoking Magritte’s famous phrase “This is not a pipe,” the slogan written on this safety vest in September 2019 holds great significance. Indeed, its meaning far exceeds the garment’s purpose of identification and distress in emergency situations. It became “much more” as the metonymy of one of the longest social and political uprisings in history. It is also “much more” because this powerful movement has taken on unprecedented dimensions. Transforming roundabouts into communal spaces; demonstrating Saturday after Saturday in Paris and cities throughout France; targeting symbols of power, with the capture of the Champs-Élysées representing that of the state and capital—in many ways, this movement is truly unique. What could not be heard before has been said.