Battered Paris on edge
French President Emanuel Macron has called for calm as authorities prepared to deploy armoured vehicles and thousands of security forces for a possible fifth straight weekend of violent anti-government protests on the streets of Paris.
The ‘‘yellow vest’’ movement, which began its demonstrations on November 17 initially to protest an increase in fuel taxes, soon morphed into an expression of rage about the high cost of living in France and a sense that Macron’s government is detached from the everyday struggles of workers.
‘‘Our country needs calm. It needs order. It needs to function normally again,’’ Macron said in Brussels, where he attended a European Union summit.
Macron acknowledged in a speech earlier this week that he’s partially responsible for the anger displayed by the ‘‘yellow vest’’ protesters, whose movement takes its name from the safety garb that all French motorists must carry.
He has announced measures aimed at improving workers’ spending power. But he has so far refused to reinstate a wealth tax that was lifted to spur investment in France.
‘‘I don’t think our democracy can accept to function with a dialogue that is carried out only with the occupation of the public domain, only by elements of violence,’’ Macron said.
He insisted he had heard the protesters’ concerns, and defended his promises to speed up tax relief.
Macron has ignored calls for his resignation, which is now among the protesters’ various demands.
Paris Police Chief Michel Delpuech said security services intended to deploy about 8000 officers and 14 armoured vehicles in the capital, the same numbers as last weekend.
Since the start of the protests, six people have died in protestrelated incidents and 1407 people have been injured, 46 of them seriously, according to government figures.
Some unions are now calling for rolling strikes across the country.
‘‘The best action is to go on strike,’’ said Philippe Martinez, the head of leftist trade union CGT. ‘‘There are inequalities in this country and we need to make big company bosses pay.’’
Delpuech said more groups of officers would be deployed in Paris this weekend to deter vandals, who last weekend roamed the elegant ChampsElysees area, smashing store windows and looting stores. Shops were boarding up their windows yesterday ahead of the protests, and many planned to close.
Police arrested more than 1000 people in Paris last weekend, and 135 people were injured, including 17 police officers.
Amnesty International urged authorities to use restraint, describing the security forces’
‘‘Our country needs calm. It needs order. It needs to function normally again.’’ French President Emmanuel Macron
response to the protests ‘‘extremely heavy-handed’’.
‘‘Police used rubber bullets, sting-ball grenades and tear gas against largely peaceful protesters who did not threaten public order, and [Amnesty] has documented numerous instances of excessive use of force by police,’’ the group said.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner urged protesters to demonstrate as peacefully, citing this week’s Strasbourg Christmas market attack and the work of the security services that were mobilised in the manhunt for the suspect.
‘‘I can’t stand the idea that today people applaud police forces and that tomorrow some people will think it makes sense to throw stones at us,’’ Castaner said from Strasbourg.