Macron says ‘sorry’ as he cuts taxes again after riots
EMMANUEL Macron will deliver an “I’m sorry” TV address tonight and announce further tax cuts, following the mass rioting which has raged through France.
Cities including Paris and Bordeaux exploded into violence on Saturday, the fourth weekend of demonstrations against fuel price rises by Yellow Vest protesters.
More than 1,700 people have been arrested.
President Macron remained in the Elysee Palace in Paris as buildings were set ablaze, shops looted and police attacked.
Yesterday the highly influential Le Parisien newspaper said that after eight days of silence, Mr Macron has told supporters “he will speak on Monday night on television to respond to the angry French”.
The president will not appear “empty handed” but will instead make further tax concessions, the newspaper said.
Armoured cars, water cannon and thousands of rounds of tear gas have been used against the Yellow Vests, named after the high-visibility jackets motorists carry in France.
They have been joined by agitators from the Left and Right, as well as criminal groups determined to cause mayhem.
Paris was badly hit on Saturday, with windows smashed, cars burned, and shops looted. Several tourist sites, including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre museum as well as the Arc de Triomphe, which was vandalised during riots a week ago, were closed at the weekend.
Finance minister Bruno Le Maire, who visited damaged and looted shops in the capital, called the situation a “catastrophe” for commerce and the economy.
On Friday, France’s retail federation said businesses had lost about one billion euros (£900million) since the street protests first erupted on November 17.
Mr Macron has already been pilloried for abandoning green taxes on diesel and petrol in response to the early rioting, but is set to cave in further, according to Le Parisien.
In a private meeting on Friday, the president told MPs: “There are too many taxes, too many taxes, too much taxation in this country,” the newspaper reported.
Mr Macron’s “mea culpa” included him admitting that he had appeared too arrogant and out of touch, the report said.
There were more than 1,000 arrests in Paris alone on Saturday, while the national figure was 1,723.
Missiles
Thousands of rioters chanted “Macron resign” and “Police everywhere, justice nowhere”, as they rampaged throughout the centre of the capital.
Their weapons used included Molotov cocktails, gas canisters, flash ball guns and baseball bats. Some also used Petanque – French bowls – balls as missiles.
Police were supported by 12 armoured cars, complete with machine guns and grenade launchers. The vehicles are designed to smash down barricades and advance on crowds during riots.
The Yellow Vests said their protests would continue indefinitely as they campaign for even more tax reductions.
The current spate of Paris violence is considered the worst since the spring of 1968, when Charles de Gaulle’s government feared fullblown revolution.
The latest riots have sparked calls for a state of emergency and for the army to take to the streets.
The independent Mr Macron, leader of the Republic On The Move party, won the French presidential election in a landslide in 2017.
But he is now dubbed the “President of the Rich” and polls have shown his popularity rating is down to just 18 per cent.