After weeks of civil unrest, French President Emmanuel Macron concurred to the demands of the gilets jaunes. In a television address, the President promised tax concessions and higher minimum wages
French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the demands of the gilet jaunes to put an end to the yellow vest protests. In his address on primetime television, the French President promised tax concessions and increased minimum wages. Admitting his fault in the matter, President Macron said the anger of the protestors was “deep and in many ways legitimate”.
The Yellow Vest movement that started online in May 2018, covered the streets with protestors in brightly coloured vests in November 2018. What started as a demand for reduction of fuel prices soon turned into violent protests for higher wages and lower taxes.
Last week the French Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe, bowed down to the demands, announcing the suspension of increase in taxes for six months and an immediate freeze on gas and electricity prices. The protestors continued to critique Emmanuel Macron’s government and asserted that dropping taxes on fuel prices will not be sufficient for putting an end to the protests.
After weeks of protests, the capital city of Paris witnessed a pre-dawn lockdown. The French security forces shut down the city completely, the Eiffel tower was closed, the Christmas lights were taken down, and shops were boarded up. Adding to the unrest, conflicts between the police and protestors took an increasingly violent turn last Saturday.
After weeks of silence on the matter, the President finally responded to the demands of the Yellow Vest protestors offering concessions to put an end to violence. The President said the anger of the protestors had been building up for almost four decades now. He addressed the plight of those struggling to make ends meet, asserting “It is as if they have been forgotten, erased. This is 40 years of malaise that has risen to the surface. It goes back a long way, but it is here now.”
President Macron further declared that the minimum wage would be increased by €100 a month with a tax exemption on overtime. A planned tax on pensions below €2,000 per month would also be removed, moreover, employers with the capacity to provide tax-free bonuses were ordered to so at the end of the year.
The President, however, condemned the violent steps taken by the protestors. He said, “No anger justifies attacking a police officer, a gendarme, or damaging a shop or public building. When violence is unleashed, freedom ends.”
The Yellow Vest movement really hurt the French economy as many tourist spots had to be shut down.
