Why Paris is Burning ? All about the Paris riots.

 The city of iconic Eiffel tower is Burning 

 On 17 November 2018, nearly 300,000 people in smaller towns and rural areas across the country participated in an extraordinary demonstration led by drivers wearing high-visibility vests, to protest rising living costs and, especially, higher taxes on automobile fuels that President Macron had announced earlier this year.After two weeks of peaceful protests in the French capital erupted into violent clashes over the weekend.Rioters set cars on fire, looted businesses, and defaced iconic landmarks with graffiti. This is some of the worst rioting Paris has seen since the 1960s.Nicknamed for the safety vests worn by protesters, known as gilets jaunes, the yellow vest movement has sparked a political crisis for the French government.They have called for “revolution” against President Macron, comparing him with Louis XVI, the last French king before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. Louis XVI was guillotined in 1793.

 On 2nd Dec 2018, President Emmanuel Macron convened a cabinet meeting that weighed imposing an emergency, which is the third time in recent years after the ones following the November 2015 Paris terror attacks and the protests by youths in poor suburbs in 2005.

The "Arc de Triomphe" A iconic monument

Who are the yellow vests?

Supporters of the movement are mostly ordinary people belonging to the middle and working classes, but include some elements identified as “radical” and “fringe” as well.They are of all ages and come from across the country, mostly from outside the big cities.Their movement began spontaneously — and even after three weeks, the yellow vests have no clear leaders beyond eight semi-official spokespeople who have been giving media statements.The absence of identifiable leaders has made the government’s task of dealing with them even more difficult.The movement continues to rely mostly on social media to organise.Supporters of the movement are mostly ordinary people belonging to the middle and working classes, but include some elements identified as “radical” and “fringe” as well.

Reason for the protests

The protests are in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s tax increase on fuel. His plan boosts fuel prices to pay for expensive climate-change initiatives set forth in the Paris climate accords.Diesel, the most popular automobile fuel in France, has become 23% costlier over the past year, rising to €1.51 (around Rs 121) per litre on average, the costliest since the early years of this millennium.

What are their demands?

Their initial demand was to repeal the green tax on diesel.Now, others want the current minimum wage (about $1,350 per month after taxes) to be raised.There have also been calls to dissolve the National Assembly and hold new elections. There have even been chants of "Macron resign!"