The yellow vest demonstrators in France have broad support from across the political spectrum from the left to the far right. Polls are suggesting that over 70% of the population supports these protesters. What started out as a protest against an additional fuel tax charge (diesel fuel which is used by most French drivers is currently the equivalent of $6.47 a gallon), has now become a broader protest against growing wealth and income inequality and a significant decline in purchasing power.
A key principle of Proutist economics is to always support an increase in the purchasing capacity of the lowest income groups in any society to make sure that the economic needs of all people are being met. Middle and lower income people in France are furious that the government has repealed a tax on the wealthy and is instead contemplating further taxes to increase the cost of living for everyone else. There is a widespread sentiment that the “middle class” is being decimated.