Le Tea Party Francais: the Bonnets Rouges, the Tea Party and mirror movements of grassroot protest

Abstract

Abstract The presence of grassroots social protest movements which agitate against economic concerns is a prevalent issue in modern politics. While populism on both the political left and right is evident in national electoral contests there also exists activism at the grassroots level. The campaigns of the Bonnets Rouges in Brittany witnessed many ideas and understandings similar to the Tea Party protests in the United States. Both founded movements based upon historical nostalgia, both mobilised against economic discontent and both perceived themselves to be rooted outside the conventional political parameters of left and right. In this article we examine whether there is evidence of movements learning from one another and how peer-peer observation of grassroots activism may influence activist organization