French leader set to talk
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will address the country today as he seeks to placate ‘‘yellow vest’’ antigovernment protesters who wreaked havoc in Paris this weekend.
Yesterday, workers in Paris and other cities swept up broken glass and towed away burntout cars while the government warned of slower economic growth and the judiciary said it would come down hard on looting and attacks on police.
On Sunday, protesters, for the fourth weekend in a row, threw stones, torched cars and vandalised shops and restaurants in a protest against Macron’s economic policies.
The Elysee Palace said on yesterday that Macron, elected in May 2017, would address the country this morning.
He will meet trade unions, employers’ organisations and local elected officials as he tries to formulate a response to an unstructured movement that has taken France by storm.
Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said on LCI television Macron would announce ‘‘concrete and immediate’’ measures, but that this would not include boosting the minimum wage.
‘‘Increasing the minimum wage would destroy jobs. Many small business cannot afford it and risk going bankrupt,’’ she said.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux warned against unrealistic expectations.
‘‘Not all the problems of the yellow vest protesters will be solved by waving a magic wand,’’ he said.
Demonstrators were unimpressed with the government’s overtures, continuing their blockades of roundabouts nationwide and vowing to fight on.
‘‘I will stay here until Easter, if necessary,’’ a protester called Didier told BFM television in Frejus, southern France.
Macron’s last televised address was on November 27, when he said he would not be bounced into changing policy by ‘‘thugs’’.
Since then, he cancelled a planned rise in fuel taxes last week to try to defuse the situation, but the protests have morphed into a broader antiMacron rebellion.
On Sunday, the Eiffel Tower and several museums closed their doors for security reasons, as did top Paris department stores on what should have been a prime shopping weekend.
The protest movement will have ‘‘a severe impact’’ on the economy, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said as he toured a looted central Paris neighbourhood.
‘‘We must expect a new slowdown of economic growth at yearend,’’ he said.
Authorities said 136,000 people had taken part in protests across France on Sunday, including 10,000 in Paris. More than 1709 had been arrested— 1000 in Paris. More than 100 remained in custody.
Across the city, retail outlets had boarded up storefronts smashed by protesters.
Gregory Caray was relieved to see his furniture shop had not been vandalised.
‘‘You can understand the yellow vests movement. But this is completely unacceptable. It has been three weekends in a row now. Look around you, everything is broken,’’ he said.
At Place de la Republique, Bertrand Cruzatier watched cleaners scrub out antiMacron graffiti. — Reuters