Gilets jaunes : regards de jeunes de banlieue

Since the start of the Gilets jaunes movement, several commentators have noted the absence of young people from working-class neighborhoods. As part of a participatory research project undertaken with young people from ten working-class neighborhoods in the Île-de-France region, a round table was organized on the theme of the Gilets jaunes, which the young people themselves proposed. These young people are high school students, university students or employees. They don’t belong to the most marginalized fringe, but all come from working-class or lower-middle-class backgrounds, and half of them are the daughters or sons of foreign parents. This exchange highlights divergent positions vis-à-vis the Gilets jaunes movement. While the young people claim common interests, “the same galleys”, not all of them recognize themselves in this mobilization. Distinctions thus emerge, among them ethno-racial stigmatization in relations with the police, media representation, strong repression or the contempt that movements from working-class neighborhoods have experienced.