The Daily Star
French leader Emmanuel Macron faced growing pressure Monday to find a way out of the deepest crisis of his presidency after protests over taxes sparked Paris’ worst rioting in decades. As anti-government protesters gained new allies Monday with French paramedics and students joining the ongoing rallies, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe met with ministers and heads of the main opposition parties to discuss ways of resolving the tension.
A meeting was planned Tuesday with moderate members of the movement, which has waged two weeks of nationwide demonstrations over fuel taxes and the rising cost of living.
But Monday, “yellow vest” representatives who had extended a hand of dialogue after the Paris riots said they had decided against attending the talks with Philippe for “security reasons.”
Jacline Mouraud and Benjamin Cauchy, two of the protest leaders, told AFP they had received threats from hard-line protesters who warned them against entering into negotiations with the government.
Macron has vowed not to back down on the anti-pollution fuel taxes that sparked a revolt in small-town and rural France, but Monday the government indicated that it might make concessions.
Philippe’s office said that he would announce “measures” in favor of the demonstrators.
Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters the premier would announce “a strong conciliatory gesture in the coming days,” without giving details.
Macron has not spoken publicly about Saturday’s destruction in Paris since his return from a G-20 summit in Argentina over the weekend.
He had lunch Monday with police from a Paris barracks that was involved in trying to quell the riots.
Some of the protesters are demanding that a fuel tax increase planned for January be suspended.
But many are holding out for more, including a rise in the minimum wage and pensions.
More protests took place Monday in Paris, as dozens of ambulances blocked a bridge leading to the National Assembly.
Lines of riot police stood in the rain to prevent them from getting too close to the building. The paramedics who joined the demonstrations are complaining about changes to working conditions.
Students opposing education reforms also joined in, blocking dozens of high schools across France, according to French media reports.
Clashes between protesters and police officers took place again Monday on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where demonstrations have been particularly violent in recent weeks. The government hasn’t ruled out the possibility of imposing a state of emergency.Paris police said that 412 people were arrested during the clashes in the capital Saturday and 363 remained in custody, according to the latest figures.
The unrest degenerated into arson and looting around the Champs-Elysees avenue and other tourist attractions Saturday.
Business leaders warned it could cause shoppers to flee during the busy end-of-year holiday period.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday that hotel reservations had fallen by “around 15 to 20 percent” since the start of the protests.
At the Spanish border, thousands of trucks were caught in tailbacks stretching nearly 20 kilometers as the protesters blocked roads.
Le Maire said the solution for tackling low purchasing power for struggling families lay in reducing the overall tax burden in France, which is among the highest in Europe.
“We must speed up the reduction of taxes,” he said. “But for that we must speed up the decrease in public spending.”
