France braces for trouble, Macron to address 'yellow vest' anger

Reuters ^ | December 7, 2018 | by Richard Lough, Sudip Kar-Gupta

[Oldeconomybuyer]

PARIS - France hunkered down for another wave of potentially violent protests on Saturday as embattled President Emmanuel Macron planned to address the nation next week over public fury at the high cost of living, senior allies said.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the three-week-old “yellow vest” revolt had “created a monster” and vowed police would have no tolerance for violence, with much of Paris in lockdown and tens of thousands of police deployed nationwide.

Castaner warned that radicals would likely again infiltrate the protest movement - a backlash against high living costs but also, increasingly, a revolt against Macron himself, including his perceived loftiness and reforms favoring a moneyed elite.

After the Dec. 1 riots in central Paris and sometimes violent demonstrations in dozens of other cities and towns across France, the government offered a rush of sweeteners to soothe public anger.

It started by scrapping next year’s planned hikes to fuel taxes, the first major U-turn of Macron’s presidency and costing the Treasury 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion).

But protesters want Macron to go further to help hard-pressed households, including an increase to the minimum wage, lower taxes, higher salaries, cheaper energy, better retirement provisions and even Macron’s resignation.

But, mindful of France’s deficit and not wanting to flout EU rules, Macron will have scant wriggle room for more concessions.

[Don W]

I love that phrasing: by NOT stealing 4.5 billion Euros from the pockets of the proles, somehow this COSTS the government money.

Typical leftist mindset, I suppose.

[Gritty]

I'm surprised Macron hasn't yet called his hordes of Muslim enforcers out of the "suburbs" to oppose the real Frenchmen!

[datricker]

Let them ride bikes

[SunkenCiv]

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner... vowed police would have no tolerance for violence

Cut him some slack, must be his first day in France. Or, maybe he's just a whistling past the graveyard kind of moron.

• 'Great Violence' in Paris Anticipated as Police Staff Join Macron Protests

[Windflier]

I love that phrasing: by NOT stealing 4.5 billion Euros from the pockets of the proles, somehow this COSTS the government money.

Like the Democrat phrase, 'Paying for tax cuts.'