Yellow Vest Injured Protester injured grievously in Paris France was taken home back to the United States

Yellow Vest Injured Protester injured grievously in Paris France was taken home back to the United States.

A young man who suffered head injury and injury to both upper and lower limbs with a fracture of the elbow was flown home to the Pittsburgh United States in a Commercial flight business class with a team of 2 - an Austrian paramedic and a French nurse.

The man was lucky as his hand was nearly blown off when he picked up a tear gas grenade and it exploded,

In a graphic video of the aftermath, French paramedics are seen gathered around the injured protester at the National Assembly gates, providing emergency medical treatment and preventing onlookers from getting too close.

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To Understand France's Yellow Vest Movement, You Have To Get Out Of Paris

Yellow vests movement. The yellow vests movement or yellow jackets movement (French: Mouvement des gilets jaunes, .pronounced [muvmɑ̃ de ʒilɛ ʒon]) is a populist, grassroots political movement for economic justice that began in France in November 2018.

Late in June 2017, Macron's Minister of Justice, François Bayrou, had come under pressure to resign, due to the ongoing investigation into the financial arrangements of the political party (MoDem) he presides. During a radio interview in August 2018, Nicolas Hulot had resigned from the Ministry of the Environment, without telling either the President or the Prime Minister of his plans to do so.^[75] Criticized for his role in the Benalla affair, Gérard Collomb tried to resign in October 2018 as Minister of the Interior—leaving himself with only two jobs, i.e. senator and mayor of Lyon—but saw his resignation initially refused, then finally accepted

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"This is the second severe injury in as many weeks and will likely inflame tensions between the government and the yellow vest movement," Beardsley reported. "Even though the number of yellow vest protesters has diminished each week."

Another protester recently suffered an eye injury from being hit by a rubber bullet.

The yellow vest protests began in mid-November, spurred by anger over high gas prices in rural areas where people depend on their cars because of no access to public transportation.

Now, in their 13th consecutive week, the protests have become a sort of an uprising against the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who is seen as out of touch with common people.

This weekend, demonstrators set fire to multiple trash cans and an anti-terror military car. France's interior Christophe Castaner tweeted his indignation over the car being set on fire saying, "These attacks are intolerable."

SITUATION

For the past several weeks, France has been shaken by weekly protests known as the ‘Yellow Vest’ movement. Dealing a major blow to the country’s economy and tourism, the movement first began to express outrage regarding rising fuel prices, high cost of living and taxes reforms. The protesters have also called for a minimum wage increase, the implementation of more referendums and Emmanuel Macron's resignation. After 16 weeks of demonstrations, more than half of French people want the “yellow vests” to end their sometimes-violent anti-government protests, with many believing demonstrators still marching through cities no longer reflect the group’s early demands.

IMPACT ON TRAVELERS

Protests have mainly taken place in Paris and on Saturdays, with other organized rallies occurring in other major cities such as Lyon, Lille, Marseilles and Nantes. While protests ended very violently in the first few months with reported scuffles between police and protestors, it seems that the protests have become more peaceful with acts of violence occurring every so often. Travelers should be aware that the protests’ routes and nearby areas may be closed off by police. Subways and public transit may also be closed in the vicinity of the demonstrations. Finally, protesters have been blocking several roads, as well as access to gas stations, popular stores and factories across the country. 

ADVICE TO TRAVELERS

1. While France remains a safe destination for tourists, Saturdays would be a good day to go outside of center cities and avoid hot spots where protests will likely be happening. For example, think about visiting Versailles which is about 30 minutes away from Paris’ city center. 
    
2. If you’re arriving or departing from France on Saturday, call your hotel or travel agent for advice on how to safely and easily get from the airport to your destination.
    
3. Be aware of your surroundings, keep a low profile and avoid crowds. Protests are usually announced the day before which will give you a chance to rethink your plans and itinerary in advance.
    
4. If you happen to run into a protest that has turned violent, find shelter and close doors and windows to avoid any smoke or tear gas.
    
5. If traveling by car, it is best to not park your car near protest sites since protestors are known to have been setting cars on fire during the most violent riots. Prefer indoor parking garages rather than street parking.
    
6. Continue to monitor local news stations for updates on what is happening around the cities in which you are staying in or visiting. 

HELP FOR TRAVELERS

Any Tourist who needs help in travel back home with an injury - HI Flying Team will help arrange the travel and transportation from France to any destination in the world.

Call us or Email us.