RISE AND EXPANSION OF THE YELLOW VESTS

Yellow vest drama continues in France and now spreads throughout Europe and beyond.

Parisian vest fest enters week five

Yellow vest drama continues in France and now spreads throughout Europe and beyond.

The ABC reports:

French police have fired tear gas across Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris and protesters have scuffled with police outside the city's opera house in the fifth straight weekend of protests by the "yellow vests" movement.

Belgian police said a man died after he crashed his car into a truck at a protesters' roadblock on the Franco-Belgian border.

He was the seventh person to die in a wave of anti-government demonstrations against the high cost of living.

Interesting way to put it. Over in the UK:

Pro-Leave demonstrators donning yellow vests took over three bridges in central London today as they demanded Britain's exit from the EU. 

Campaigners chanting 'Brexit now' stopped cars from crossing Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge and then Waterloo Bridge as Theresa May held crunch talks with EU leaders in Brussels.

And elsewhere:

In the Netherlands, “yellow vests” turned out in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague …

In Hungary, some of those protesting a new law, which increases the amount of overtime employers can require of workers, also dressed up in yellow vests on December 12 outside parliament.

And in Poland, farmers wearing the distinctive jackets on Wednesday blocked a motorway to demand government compensation for a swine flu outbreak.

In Germany, both Alice Weidel, one of the founders of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, and the radical left-wing Die Linke party have expressed support for the French movement ...

In Belgrade, a handful of opposition members of parliament also donned yellow on December 4 to protest petrol price increases.

In South Africa, where some protesters have been spotted wearing yellow vests during demonstrations against the low quality of public services, the Federation of Trade Unions spoke out in favour of the French movement, saying it was a model for future protests ...

In Egypt, authorities fearing possible protests on the anniversary of the uprising that toppled Egypt’s longtime president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, have sought to restrict the sale of yellow vests.

Of course, being a primarily European protest movement, certain Continental traditions must be observed:

French Jews have become a focal point for the "Yellow Vest" protests across France, with an increase in anti-Semitism by demonstrators. In recent days, the Jewish community has reported numerous anti-Semitic videos, graffiti and actual threats appearing in central locations and on social media.

(Via Jill and the Old and Unimproved Dave.)