This is an updated version of an article that ran on December 21st. It includes comment from a Maine-based organizer with American Yellow Vests (AYV) who did not give a name.
For over a month now, the gilets jaunes or Yellow Vests, a popular uprising in France that started in response to a gas tax, has captured international attention. Protests have been violent, with police often firing less-lethal munitions at demonstrators. Like the Arab Spring and Occupy movements before it, the Yellow Vests have spread across the globe. Examples include Yellow Vests protesting high unemployment in Iraq, high living costs in Israel, and Egypt has banned the sale of hi-vis safety vests out of fear of an uprising.