Eric Drouet is a French truck driver from Melun, a sububrb of Paris. Drouet defines himself as "apolitical" and "grass-roots". ^[1]

Drouet is a leader and spokesperson for the Yellow vests movement. In October 2018, Drouet created a Facebook page calling for a *"national strike against rising fuel prices"*that was followed by hundreds of thousands of people, and is believed to have been an inspiration for the first protests ("Act I") of the Yellow Vest movement on 17 October. ^[1]

Drouet was violently arrested on 22 December 2018 on charges of "intent to commit violent acts or vandalism" and "possession of a non-lethal weapon". ^[1] He had previously been investigated for “organizing an unlawful protest” and “provoking the commission of a crime or misdemeanor” in what some have called a "persecution".