Think we’re in turmoil? France hit by FIFTH weekend of riots
FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to quell weeks of violent protests failed yesterday as he faced renewed claims that he is failing to listen to the people.
Tens of thousands of ‘yellow vest’ demonstrators ignored government calls to abandon protests in the wake of the murders of four people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg by radical Islamist Chérif Chekatt.
Instead, fights broke out in Paris between protesters and batonwielding riot police – part of a total of 69,000 officers deployed across France to control crowds.
By last night, in Paris alone there had been 168 arrests – many for carrying weapons, including gas canisters and petanque balls.
At least seven people were injured in the capital.
Despite concessions, including scrapping taxes on diesel and petrol and increasing the minimum wage, Mr Macron, who won a landslide victory in 2017, has seen his approval rating slump to just 18 per cent. Eric Drouet, a senior figure in the ‘yellow vest’ movement, suggested in a video posted on Facebook that the president’s concessions had only served to inspire campaigners to demand more. ‘What Macron did on Monday was a call to carry on because he has started to give ground, which is unusual for him,’ he said.
Philippe Berger, a 34-year-old ‘yellow vest’ from Brittany who was protesting in the French capital, said: ‘The establishment has let us down and needs a complete change. Macron has to go, and we won’t stop protesting until he does.’
Loic Bollay, 44, who was among those who marched on the ChampsÉlysées, said the protests were more subdued than in previous weeks, but predicted that they would continue. ‘Since the Strasbourg attack, it is calmer, but I think next Saturday and the following Saturdays it will come back,’ he said.
A 28-year-old yellow-vest protester called Jeremy added: ‘Last time, we were here for taxes. This is for the institutions. We want more direct democracy.’
According to official figures, 33,500 protesters took to the streets of France yesterday, compared to 77,000 last weekend.
They included 1,500 who marched through the centre of Paris chanting ‘Macron resign’, and topless members of a feminist group, who confronted police near the Élysée Palace.
In Belgium, a man died after accidentally crashing his car into a truck at a protesters’ roadblock by the French border – bringing the death toll to seven during the recent wave of violence.
On Friday, Mr Macron called for an end to the protests, which ministers say have been hijacked by political extremists and anarchists. ‘France needs calm, order and a return to normal,’ he said.
His plea came as Amnesty International, the human rights charity, urged the French authorities to ‘avoid excessive use of force and exercise restraint’.
The renewed protests yesterday led to the postponement of five of France’s top-flight football matches over the weekend. Six were called off last weekend
In Ireland, several hundred people wearing yellow vests took part in a protest in Dublin in solidarity with the French demonstrations.