Macron to address French about protests over government policy
PARIS — Pressure mounted on French President Emmanuel Macron to announce measures to calm protests marked by violence when he addresses the nation Monday evening, and breaks a long silence widely seen as aggravating a crisis that has shaken the government and the whole country.
The president will consult in the morning with an array of national and local officials as he tries to get a handle on the ballooning and radicalizing protest movement triggered by anger at his policies, and a growing sense that they favor the rich.
Macron will speak from the presidential Elysee Palace at 8 p.m., an Elysee official said. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier on LCI TV station he was “sure (Macron) will know how to find the path to the hearts of the French, speak to their hearts.” But, he added, a “magic wand” won’t solve all the problems of the protesters, known as “yellow vests” for the fluorescent safety vests they often wear.
Last week, Macron withdrew a fuel tax hike — the issue that kicked off pro- tests in mid-November — in an effort to appease protesters, but the move was seen as too little too late.
For many protesters, Macron himself, widely seen as arrogant and disconnected from rank-andfile French, has become the problem. Calls for him to resign were rampant on Saturday, the fourth weekend of large-scale protests.
After the fourth Saturday of nationwide protests by the grassroots movement with broadening demands, officials said they understood the depth of the crisis. Bruno Le Maire said it was a social and democratic crisis as well as a “crisis of the nation” with “territorial fractures.”