Macron to address nation after fourth weekend of violent "yellow vest" movement
- 5 years ago
French President Emmanuel Macron is to address the nation on Monday as another weekend of anti-government protests left parts of Paris in ruins.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… the pressure keeps mounting on the young French leader.
That's right Mark…. Macron has been very quiet during the month-long "yellow vest" movement, sending his prime minister to deal with the situation.
But that's all about to change as the public's anger towards his government grows.
On Monday morning, local time, Macron will meet with business and political leaders as well as trade unions to try to diffuse the tensions.
Soon after those meetings, the Elysee Palace says he will deliver a televised address to the nation.
It's expected to be apologetic in nature, with announcements of further tax cuts.
Increased fuel taxes initially sparked the "yellow vest" protests, but they have been escalating due to broader anger towards Macron's government.
There have been more than 1,700 arrests amid the riots.
Businesses have been destroyed or looted and major Paris landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, have been closed to the public.
Several people have died and scores more have been wounded in clashes with police.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday the unrest was creating what he called a "catastrophe" for the French economy.
The local retail sector is said to have suffered more than a billion U.S. dollars in lost revenue since the start of the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, France's foreign minister lashed out at Donald Trump after the U.S. president, in a series of Saturday tweets, appeared to suggest the Paris Climate Agreement was the reason for the unrest.
Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Trump to stop meddling in his country's domestic affairs.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… the pressure keeps mounting on the young French leader.
That's right Mark…. Macron has been very quiet during the month-long "yellow vest" movement, sending his prime minister to deal with the situation.
But that's all about to change as the public's anger towards his government grows.
On Monday morning, local time, Macron will meet with business and political leaders as well as trade unions to try to diffuse the tensions.
Soon after those meetings, the Elysee Palace says he will deliver a televised address to the nation.
It's expected to be apologetic in nature, with announcements of further tax cuts.
Increased fuel taxes initially sparked the "yellow vest" protests, but they have been escalating due to broader anger towards Macron's government.
There have been more than 1,700 arrests amid the riots.
Businesses have been destroyed or looted and major Paris landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, have been closed to the public.
Several people have died and scores more have been wounded in clashes with police.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday the unrest was creating what he called a "catastrophe" for the French economy.
The local retail sector is said to have suffered more than a billion U.S. dollars in lost revenue since the start of the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, France's foreign minister lashed out at Donald Trump after the U.S. president, in a series of Saturday tweets, appeared to suggest the Paris Climate Agreement was the reason for the unrest.
Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Trump to stop meddling in his country's domestic affairs.