Yellow Vest Crisis: Government Opens Access to Books of Grievances Written by French Citizens

This consultation, previously reserved for researchers, will be possible from Friday in the departmental or national archives, pending a possible online publication in 2026.

A piece of French history is now accessible to all. On Wednesday, April 30, the government decreed that the books of grievances written after the "yellow vest" crisis would be made available to all citizens who request them. In a decree published in the Official Journal , the Ministry of Culture emphasized that the writings produced during this debate, previously open to researchers, "may be freely communicated," either on site or by sending copies.

These notebooks allowed the French to express their grievances during the Great National Debate, a citizen consultation conducted from January to March 2019 and called for by Emmanuel Macron in response to the vast popular protest movement of the "yellow vests" at the end of 2018, against the high cost of living, the destruction of public services, inequalities and the shortcomings of democracy.

"From this Friday, anyone will be able to go to a departmental archives center or the National Archives without any particular constraints to consult the notebooks," Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday evening. The president said he hoped that, "by 2026, these notebooks will also be accessible online." The government first wants to anonymize the contributions, a long-term project that is underway.

On March 11, the National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the government to open these archives to all . The democratic exercise of the Great Debate, unprecedented in modern times, resulted in the collection of "19,000 citizens' notebooks," a "national treasure," according to the Green MP for Drôme, Marie Pochon, who initiated this resolution. The rapid opening of archives to all, without exemption, "is exceptional," emphasizes the Ministry of Culture, while the legal deadline for archives of this type is 50 years.