French Yellow Vest Protests Rage On as President Emmanuel Macron Begs for Calm
French yellow vests protests continued Saturday in Paris and other cities to show they are mobilized against the government’s economic policies.
In Paris, protesters gathered for the 16th straight week at the Arc de Triomphe monument as a march was planned through the capital’s western neighborhoods.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reiterated a call for calm, pointing at “unacceptable” outbreaks of violence since the movement began in November.
Organizers say they want to maintain pressure on the government as a two-month “grand debate” initiated by Macron to let French citizens express their views on the economic and democratic issues is ending this month.
Sophie Tissier, a coordinator of the Paris protests, told The Associated Press that “we keep protesting every Saturday because Macron doesn’t respond at all to the yellow vests’ demands. We want to rebuild our democracy and change today’s political system.”
“Macron is contemptuous and … does not even try to understand that there are people that are living in great poverty and precariousness, and that there are so many inequalities,” she added.
Additional protests are taking place in France’s major cities of Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Lille.
The movement was named after the fluorescent vests that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.
The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes, but have expanded into a broader public rejection of Macron’s economic policies, which protesters say hurt the working class.
Macron has since announced a package of measures worth about $11.4 billion to boost workers’ and retirees’ purchasing power.
He also launched a national debate that is taking place through meetings across France and a dedicated website until mid-March.
Many yellow vests reject the debate, which they consider as politically driven to serve the government’s interests.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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