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News > France

France: 'Yellow Vest' Protests Eroding Macron's Presidency

  • A yellow-vest protester displays a sign that reads

    A yellow-vest protester displays a sign that reads "He who sows misery, harvests anger" in Fontaine-Notre-Dame, France on Nov. 30, 2018. | Photo: Reuters

Published 1 December 2018
Opinion

The protesters' actions have grown into one of the largest and most relentless challenges faced by Macron since taking office.

Large groups of French workers are expected to flood the streets of Paris to protest against the high cost of living, unemployment and racism. Widescale demonstrations have persisted as President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating drops to mid-20s.

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Two-thirds Back France's 'Yellow Vest' Protests against Macron

For more than two weeks, the "yellow vests" - who take their name from the high-visibility jackets all French motorists are mandated to carry - have blocked roads across France in what started as a spontaneous rebellion against diesel tax hikes.

The protesters' actions have grown into one of the largest and most relentless challenges faced by Macron since taking office.

“The government is still struggling to establish a dialogue with this protean movement,” according to RTL Radio, which reported that a meeting between protesters and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe turned into a fiasco Friday because “only two yellow vests participated and one of them quickly left the scene.”

The 'yellow vests' movement enjoys widescale public support with a growing influence that is spreading outside France. 

A demonstration of some 300 people took place Friday in Brussels, Belgium. Police arrested nearly 60 people, according to Belgian media who also reported that the mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, warned that anyone who continued to protest would be arrested.

The 'yellow vests' rebellion also reached Spain.

"We are already here" was displayed on a banner, seen draped across a bridge in Madrid, which was hanged by citizens clad in yellow vests, according to El Confidencial, which commented that the rebellion "is still a germ, but the seed is already planted..."

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