Bonnets Rouges

For the seventeenth century French revolt, see Revolt of the papier timbré.

The bonnets rouges (red caps) movement began in October, 2013 in Brittany. It was a protest movement, largely targeting a new tax on truck-transport (billed as an "ecotaxe" by the government), with overtones of Breton nationalism. By means of large demonstrations and direct action, which included the destruction of many highway tax portals, the movement successfully forced the French government to rescind the tax.

The new tax was seen as harmful to Breton agriculture, which was already having a difficult time competing with its counterparts in Europe.

The wearing of red caps was indended as a reference to the seventeenth century revolt of the papier timbré which was particularly active in Brittany.

Activity

Hundreds of red-cap-wearing demonstrators protested against the highway tax portal at Pont-de-Buis on 28 October 2013, and during the course of the protest a demonstrator had his hand blown off when he picked up a grenade thrown by law enforcement.

Soon after, the French government announced that it would be temporarily suspending the new tax.

This did not satisfy the demonstrators, who destroyed more than two dozen tax portals, and many smaller radar-camera-like outposts, by the the first week of November. These would typically be destroyed by fire, often by filling tires, stacked at their bases, with flammable material and lighting them. Sometimes, less-destructive means were used, such as wrapping the radar cameras in plastic and topping them with bonnets rouges of their own.

By late November, 46 tax radars and portals had been destroyed, and other anti-tax groups were beginning to try direct action, including farmers and equestrians who snarled traffic in Paris with their tractors and horses.