French President Emmanuel Macron has given a long-awaited response to the yellow vest protest movement with promises of tax cuts, higher pensions and a reform of the civil service. Despite insisting that order must return, he acknowledged a "lack of trust" in the establishment. Protests, sometimes violent, started in November over rises in fuel costs but widened to cover a range of grievances over economic inequality. Macron said he stood by his reforms.
His speech was originally scheduled for 15 April but was postponed after the devastating fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
As RFI reported, President Macron's speech on Thursday addressed many concerns of the Yellow Vest movement. But some are still dissatisfied and had called for demonstrations on Saturday. Militants on social media networks called for street protests in Paris, Strasbourg and Toulouse. In Paris, some protesters called for a 'Media March', and plan to do a tour of South-Eastern Paris, where the headquarters of France's main media companies are based. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner remarked that "the Yellow Vests' statements had been written before the President spoke on Thursday,".
"The President was addressing the French people and not the 30,000 who demonstrate on Saturdays", Castaner added. Thursday evening, President Macron announced long-awaited reforms in a televised press conference. This may be seen as the President's final answer to the Yellow Vest protests that began six months ago. Local paper Ouest France spoke to Yellow Vest protesters about Macron's proposed changes. In Saint-Lô, Normandy, a few of them concluded that the French President had said nothing to reassure them. "Nothing's moving," they said, unconvinced.
However, Macron did announce measures to improve purchasing power for France's low-income population, and lower tax rates from next year. He also admitted that he may have been arrogant, unjust or tough at times when faced with the people's claims or reservations. According to AFP, who spoke to a dozen Yellow Vests in the south of France, those reservations have not gone away their reactions were summed up in one word - "rubbish" as they described Macron's attitude as condescending.
More measured, Jérémy Clément, regularly cited as a spokesperson for the movement, said that "the President has understood our claims, but he hasn't provided the answers to them."
He added that some of the measures had already been announced, and others didn't go far enough.
MNA/TT
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