The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said the government must present a “clear answer” to the anger of people on low incomes after protesters marched in Paris against rising fuel taxes and what they called an elite political class cut off from reality, reports The Guardian.
The government has vowed not to back down on the new taxes on diesel and petrol, which were the starting point for grassroots citizens’ protests across France. The movement has since broadened into a wider outpouring against inequality and accusations that Macron’s policies favour the rich. The protests in Paris had the support of a majority of French people.
Macron told reporters in Brussels that the government must present a clear answer amid speculation he would next week call for a consultation on living standards or suggest measures to soften the impact of rising petrol costs. But, having staked his political identity on not giving in to street protests, the president is not expected to roll back on the fuel tax.
Thousands of demonstrators – known as the “gilets jaunes” or “yellow vests” because they wear fluorescent, high-visibility vests – poured on to the Champs-Elysées in Paris on Saturday where they sung the national anthem and called for Macron to resign. By nightfall, barricades were set on fire, luxury shop windows smashed and traffic lights uprooted. Twenty-four people, including five police officers, were injured and 130 arrested.
The government blamed the violence on a small minority of “ultra-right” trouble-makers who infiltrated the demonstrators.