After nearly six years, the Yellow Vests movement is back in the spotlight as Prime Minister François Bayrou urges a reevaluation of grievances documented during the ‘Great National Debate.’ This initiative, sparked by President Macron, aimed to address issues raised by the protests. Despite the accumulation of extensive public contributions, the grievances remain largely inaccessible. Activists and researchers are calling for transparency, while a bipartisan proposal seeks to make these documents public, emphasizing the importance of democratic accountability.
The Return of the Yellow Vests Movement
Almost six years since its inception, the Yellow Vests movement is once again capturing headlines. In his general policy address on January 14, Prime Minister François Bayrou expressed a keen interest in revisiting the notebooks of grievances that emerged from the ‘Great National Debate’ intended to address the issues raised by the Yellow Vests protests.
“I firmly believe that the promise of France compels us to dismantle the barriers that separate us,” stated Bayrou, the mayor of Pau. He emphasized the importance of reassessing the grievances documented by the Yellow Vests to give voice to the often unvoiced expectations of marginalized social groups. Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier had also touched upon this concept, creating an opportunity to explore the fate of these crucial notebooks.
The Great National Debate and Its Aftermath
In response to the Yellow Vests crisis, President Emmanuel Macron initiated the ‘Great National Debate’ six years ago. This initiative included organized discussions across France and encouraged mayors to establish ‘citizen and free expression notebooks’ in town halls. The French public engaged wholeheartedly with this democratic exercise, resulting in the compilation of 19,247 Citizen Notebooks, which housed 225,224 contributions, as reported by a proposal submitted to the National Assembly.
Despite Macron’s earlier commitment to ensuring the ‘transparency’ of the process, the notebooks of grievances have yet to be made public. They currently reside in the archival services of the 101 French departments, with a portion digitized and accessible at the departmental archives. Those that remain undigitized are available only under certain circumstances due to privacy protections outlined in the heritage code. A collective of researchers highlighted the ‘democratic urgency’ of making these archives accessible to the public in a piece featured in Le Monde.
In light of government inertia regarding these notebooks, various initiatives have emerged to preserve their significance. A 2024 documentary titled ‘Grievances,’ directed by Hélène Desplanques and featuring Fabrice Dalongeville, the mayor of Auger-Saint-Vincent in Oise, seeks to revive public interest in these documents by exploring departmental archives. Additionally, citizen collectives, including the association ‘Return the Grievances,’ are working to publish the contributions online while ensuring anonymity. According to these activists, this effort aims to ‘process, analyze, and return to the French what they have expressed about their nation, its institutions, and the significant challenges we face together.’
On a national level, a bipartisan proposal was also introduced in January 2024 to the National Assembly. Spearheaded by ecologist MP Marie Pochon, this initiative advocates for the public release of what she describes as a ‘national treasure,’ fulfilling the presidential promise made in 2019. In a recent interview, Pochon raised concerns about the apparent reluctance to fully disclose these grievances, stating, ‘How can we trust in democracy if we do not see it through to completion?’