IN Paris, the Arc de Triomphe has been defaced. Champs Elysees and the avenues off it damaged. Protesters wearing yellow vests are threatening riots and burning vehicles and debris in public places. At least four deaths have been reported. This may not be the 1968 French revolution all over again, but what began as a protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s tax on diesel, which is widely used by French motorists but traditionally less heavily taxed than other types of fuel, has grown into something much bigger, and spread into major cities. The anger is directed no longer simply at the fuel tax, but also at high living costs, the marginalization of rural France, and Macron’s failure to deliver on his promise of a more dynamic economy and lower unemployment. The crisis has pulled down Macron’s and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s approval ratings, 23 percent for Macron and for Philippe 26 percent.