Macron to respond to yellow vest protests

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce "concrete and immediate" measures in response to nationwide anti-government protests.

Demonstrators pull up cobblestones near the Arc de Triomphe

Source: AAP

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the country on Monday as he seeks to placate "yellow vest" anti-government protesters who wreaked havoc in Paris at the weekend.

On Sunday, workers in the capital and other cities swept up broken glass and towed away burnt-out cars amid a government warning of slower economic growth and the judiciary vowing to come down hard on looting and attacks on police.

On Saturday, protesters, for the fourth weekend in a row, threw stones, torched cars and vandalised shops and restaurants in a protest against Macron's economic policies.

The Elysee palace said on Sunday Macron, elected in May 2017, would address the country on Monday evening.

On Monday morning, he will meet with unions, employers and local officials as he tries to formulate a response to an unstructured movement that has taken France by storm and broken through traditional communication channels with the government.

Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said on television Macron would announce "concrete and immediate" measures but this would not include boosting the minimum wage.

"Increasing the minimum wage would destroy jobs. Many small business cannot afford it and risk going bankrupt," she said.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux warned against unrealistic expectations.

"Not all the problems of the yellow vest protesters will be solved by waving a magic wand," he said.

Demonstrators were unimpressed with the overtures, continuing their blockade of traffic roundabouts nationwide and vowing to fight on.

"I will stay here until Easter, if necessary," a protester called Didier told media in Frejus.

Macron's last televised address was on November 27 when he said he wouldn't be bounced into changing policy by "thugs".

He since cancelled a rise in fuel taxes to try to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion.

The upheaval in the Christmas shopping season has dealt a heavy blow to retailing, tourism and manufacturing as road blocks disrupt supply chains.

On Saturday, the Eiffel Tower and several museums closed for security reasons, as did top Paris department stores on what should have been a prime shopping weekend.

The protest movement will have "a severe impact" on the economy, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said as he toured a heavily looted Paris neighbourhood.

"We must expect a new slowdown of economic growth at year-end," he said.

In mid-November, the central bank had forecast 0.4 per cent fourth-quarter growth. Economists said at the time the economy would need to grow at 0.8 per cent in the final three months to hit a 1.7 per cent annual growth forecast.

Authorities say 136,000 people took part in protests across France on Saturday, including 10,000 in Paris. More than 1709 were arrested. More than 100 remain in custody.

"We cannot let people think they can come to trash everything and then happily go back home without facing judicial sanctions," Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters.

Named after the fluorescent yellow safety vests French motorists must carry, the protests erupted on November 17.


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Source: AAP



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