Éric Drouet

Personal background In 2019, Éric Drouet lived in Melun, in Seine-et-Marne, with his wife and their daughter. He worked as a truck driver, was a full-time employee, and an active member of the mechanic association the “Muster Crew.” Yellow Vests Movement Leading the Protests In late October 2018, Éric Drouet called for a gathering of motorists on the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris Influence on Social Media Éric Drouet regularly communicates via Facebook live videos with members of the Facebook group La France en colère, which he manages with his mother. With 300,000 members in early February 2019, Withdrawal from the Movement and Presidential Candidacy In a video posted on January 24, 2020, Éric Drouet announced his withdrawal from the Yellow Vests Movement, stating that "putting oneself forward causes more problems than anything else." As of September 2020, he still managed the Facebook group La France en colère, which had more than 300,000 members. In October 2020, he announced his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election "independent of any party." He positioned himself as the spokesperson for a citizen movement aiming "to bring ideas back." He claimed inspiration from Coluche and intended to campaign primarily on social media. His political platform included lowering the salaries of elected officials, instituting a citizens' initiative referendum (RIC), and bringing the people closer to political power. == Political stances ==

Éric Drouet claims to be unaffiliated with any political party. On December 4, 2018, he was criticized for a statement with "xenophobic undertones" in response to comments made by Maxime Nicolle, another figure of the movement, about the Marrakech Pact. Jean-Luc Mélenchon paid tribute to him on his Facebook page on December 31, 2018. Drouet later claimed to have been approached by RN and FI to appear on their lists for the European elections, which he declined. == Legal issues ==

On December 22, 2018, he was arrested in Paris carrying a "baton" in his bag, which led to his being summoned to appear before the correctional court on June 5, 2019, for “participation in a group formed with a view to committing violence” and “carrying a category D prohibited weapon.” When questioned about the “prohibited weapon,” he responded: "As a truck driver, we all have something to defend ourselves, to protect ourselves. It was in my work bag, with my lunch, and I had forgotten it was there. This stick was a keepsake from my father." He appealed this conviction and was acquitted in September 2020. Following this arrest in January 2019, controversy arose over whether Drouet had deliberately organized the event on the Champs-Élysées and broken the law to get arrested and create a media sensation; == Criticism and controversies ==

Insurrectional intentions On December 5, 2018, he stated on BFM TV that he was ready to “enter [the Élysée Palace],” widely interpreted as a call to forcibly take the seat of the Presidency of the Republic, which he denied, saying, "I see what is being said about me on TV, that I am an anarchist or something like that. I want to clarify: I never said I wanted to go to the Élysée to break everything, but to make ourselves heard." However, on January 30, 2019, he appeared on the show Les Grandes Gueules, broadcast on RMC and RMC Story. Tensions with other Yellow Vests Movement personalities Several times, members and “figures” of the movement opposed Éric Drouet's positions. In January 2019, Priscillia Ludosky announced she would cut ties with him, before resuming cooperation in early February. According to Europe 1, Drouet was part of the “radical faction,” those who wanted to go further, for example, by protesting at night to wear out the police, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the government. In late January 2019, these “hardliners” disagreed with the moderates on the future direction of the protest movement. Fundraising for the injured In early January 2019, Éric Drouet launched a PayPal fundraiser to raise donations for those injured during the Yellow Vests demonstrations. This initiative was criticized by other members of the movement, who questioned how the collected money would be distributed. These jibes are viewed by journalist Vincent Glad as an expression of “social contempt” aimed at “excluding the working classes from the legitimate political space.” Consequently, according to University of Lorraine lecturer Christophe Benzitoun, readers adopt two different attitudes: "There are social groups that do not mind. On the other hand, other groups will find the message unreadable and refuse to read it all the way through." == References ==