Police clash with 'yellow vest' protesters in Paris

[Valin]

Reuters

Dec. 8 2018

PARIS (Reuters) - French riot police clashed with “yellow vest” protesters in central Paris on Saturday during the latest wave of demonstrations against high living costs which have shaken President Emmanuel Macron’s authority.

Protesters played a cat-and-mouse game with riot police, moving from the heavily guarded Champs Elysees area to other parts of the city, setting cars, garbage bins and wooden shutters on fire. More than 30 people were injured.

Authorities said some 8,000 people were demonstrating in Paris, where 600 people had been searched and briefly arrested. More than 500 of them remained in custody after police found they carried potential weapons such as hammers, baseball bats and metal balls used in the French lawn game petanque.

Some 31,000 people were demonstrating across France.

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[Valin]

Why are the ‘yellow vests’ still protesting in France? His name is Macron.

James McAuley

December 8 2018

PARIS — Act Four in the weekly “yellow vest” protests unfolded Saturday in Paris amid a now-familiar backdrop of tear gas and chants, but also brought further clarity on where the rage is headed: directly at President Emmanuel Macron.

What began as opposition against a carbon tax designed to curb climate change has morphed into a working-class revolt against Macron, who now faces the first major test of his presidency and whose approval ratings have plummeted to personal all-time lows.

The crowds on Saturday — several thousand demonstrators — appeared smaller than past weeks.

But the increased focus on Macron and his perceived elitist image point to deeper divisions in France that reach beyond the current protests and could become defining features of the opposition as Macron’s popularity slumps.

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[Valin]

 

[Valin]

 

[Valin]

 

Also Hot Air: Macron to give “I’m sorry” TV address as he unveils more tax cuts

On Sunday, the highly influential Parisien newspaper reported that ‘after eight days of silence, the head of state’ has told supporters ‘he will speak on Monday night on television to respond to the angry French.’

Macron will not appear ’empty handed’ but will instead make further concessions in regards to tax, it added…

‘There are too many taxes, too many taxes, too much taxation in this country,’ Macron told MPs in a private meeting on Friday, the Parisien reports.

Macron’s ‘mea culpa’ included him admitting that he appeared too arrogant and out-of-touch, and he will address such concerns on a national TV channel.

 

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Many more Vids and Photos at Daily Mail Link

[Valin]

On 12/9/2018 at 2:13 PM, Valin said:

 

Also Hot Air: Macron to give “I’m sorry” TV address as he unveils more tax cuts

On Sunday, the highly influential Parisien newspaper reported that ‘after eight days of silence, the head of state’ has told supporters ‘he will speak on Monday night on television to respond to the angry French.’

Macron will not appear ’empty handed’ but will instead make further concessions in regards to tax, it added…

‘There are too many taxes, too many taxes, too much taxation in this country,’ Macron told MPs in a private meeting on Friday, the Parisien reports.

Macron’s ‘mea culpa’ included him admitting that he appeared too arrogant and out-of-touch, and he will address such concerns on a national TV channel.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Many more Vids and Photos at Daily Mail Link

 

 

[Valin]

Macron vows tax relief, urges calm in bid to quell protests

SYLVIE CORBET and ANGELA CHARLTON

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron broke his silence Monday on the exceptional protests shaking France and his presidency, promising broad tax relief for struggling workers and pensioners — and acknowledging his own responsibility in fueling the nation’s anger.

Speaking with a soft voice and gentle tone, Macron pleaded during a brief televised address for a return to calm after almost four weeks of protests that started in neglected provinces to oppose fuel tax increases and progressed to rioting in Paris.

“We are at a historic moment for our country,” the French leader said from the capital’s presidential Elysee Palace. “We will not resume the normal course of our lives” after all that has happened.

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[Valin]