“Les gilets jaunes” meme: meaning, origin and epic card

What does the “Les gilets jaunes” meme mean?

The term points to a social movement, its clothing symbol and its protest imagery all at once. The 1793 quote on the card, calling insurrection the most sacred right and most indispensable duty when a government violates the people’s rights, is often cited by participants and supporters to justify their stance. Others dispute that reading. Online, the expression works as quick shorthand for that era of mobilisations, occupied roundabouts and Saturday demonstrations, and it feeds humour as much as debate.

Where does the “Les gilets jaunes” meme come from?

The yellow vests movement started on 17 November 2018 with a first “act” of road blockades and demonstrations. The trigger was a rise in the fuel tax known as the TICPE, which pushed up petrol and diesel prices. Calls shared mostly on social media launched the mobilisation. The yellow high-visibility vest became a rallying sign after a video posted on Facebook by a mechanic from the Aude region. Demands widened to cover tax policy, living standards for working and middle classes, citizens’ initiative referendums and the resignation of Emmanuel Macron. The government then dropped the tax rise. Sporadic actions resumed in spring 2019, and the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 brought the movement to a halt.

1. 1793Date of the Constitution whose article 35 on insurrection appears on the card.
2. 17 November 2018First act of the yellow vests, with blockades and demonstrations across France.
3. Spring 2019Sporadic actions resume.
4. 2020 and 2021Lockdowns bring the movement to a halt.

How to use the “Les gilets jaunes” meme

• Quote article 35 of 1793 in a debate about the right to protest.
• Mention Saturday protests and roundabouts to place a period in time.
• Use the yellow vest as a reference in a talk on purchasing power or taxes.
• Recall the movement’s history in a social media discussion.

The “Les gilets jaunes” card in MyMemeCards

Number	No. 1216
Rarity	Epic
Collection	Memes FR pack
Fame	50/100 · #753 of 3503
Recycle value	20 MemeCoins (60 in Shiny)
Suggested by	@arracheurdanus

How to get the “Les gilets jaunes” card

Every pack holds 5 meme cards, the first 3 of them Common; Les gilets jaunes comes out of the Memes FR pack as an epic card. The pack odds say what each rarity weighs.

Your first pack is free and needs no account. After that a new free pack lands every 10 minutes, up to 3 waiting for you. You can also buy the card with MemeCoins on the market, bid for it at auction, or trade it — and a double recycles into 20 MemeCoins.

The reprint of the “Les gilets jaunes” card

The “Les gilets jaunes” card was reprinted as Legendary (No. 2,151). A reprint is the same meme printed again, with a number of its own and a higher rarity than its first printing, which was epic. Its face reads “Reprinted card · Higher rarity”.

Every printing is dealt in the packs of the Memes FR pack, each at its own rarity: the higher it is, the rarer the card is to pull. Copies of the first printing already pulled stay as they are, and any printing counts toward completing a set.

MyMemeCards reprints a meme when it deserves more than the rarity of its first printing, such as a classic that became iconic after it came out: the reprint gives it a place among the most sought-after cards without taking anything from the players who already had it.

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