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A8   WORLD NEWS
                Tuesday 11 december 2018

























            Macron vows tax cuts, pay rise; will France’s anger subside?




            By SYLVIE CORBET                                                                                                    of  the  speech  may  have
            ANGELA CHARLTON                                                                                                     been the moment Macron
            Associated Press                                                                                                    said: “I take my share of re-
            PARIS (AP) — French Presi-                                                                                          sponsibility”  for  the  anger
            dent  Emmanuel  Macron                                                                                              gripping France.
            tried  to  reassert  control                                                                                        It  was  an  unusual  admis-
            over  a  nation  wracked  by                                                                                        sion  for  a  president  whose
            increasingly  violent  pro-                                                                                         leadership  has  appeared
            tests with offers of tax relief                                                                                     marked  by  a  single-mind-
            for  struggling  workers  and                                                                                       ed  determination  to  push
            pensioners  —  and  an  ex-                                                                                         through  reforms  he  prom-
            ceptional  admission  Mon-                                                                                          ised in his 2017 campaign,
            day that “I might have hurt                                                                                         regardless of the fallout.
            people with my words.”                                                                                              “I  might  have  hurt  people
            It may not be enough.                                                                                               with my words,” he said.
            Even  as  Macron  broke  his                                                                                        Indeed, he wounded many
            silence  on  the  protests  in                                                                                      when  he  told  a  jobless
            a  brief  televised  address,                                                                                       man  he  just  had  to  “cross
            yellow-vested  demonstra-                                                                                           the street” to find work. Or
            tors vowed to keep up the                                                                                           when  he  told  retirees  with
            pressure on a man they see                                                                                          small pensions to stop com-
            as  arrogant,  out-of-touch                                                                                         plaining.  Or  when  he  sug-
            and “president of the rich.”  TV  screens  show  French  President  Emmanuel  during  a  televised  address  to  the  nation,  at  an   gested some French work-
            “We  are  at  a  historic  mo-  electrical appliance store in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.    ers  are  “lazy.”  However,
            ment  for  our  country,”  the                                                                     Associated Press  the  centrist  leader  insisted
            French  leader  said  from  ments beyond its borders.     government  and  parlia-     it revived.                  Monday  that  the  protest-
            the presidential Elysee Pal-  French  protesters  spent  ment  to  take  immediate  Overall,  Macron  unveiled  ers’  “malaise”  is  as  old  as
            ace.  “We  will  not  resume  days  demanding  that  Ma-  steps  to  change  tax  rules  no  radical  changes,  and  he is — 40 years — and co-
            the  normal  course  of  our  cron  speak  publicly  about  and  other  policies  that  hit  clung to his vision for trans-  incides with France’s strug-
            lives” after all that has hap-  their  concerns.  After  he  the wallets of working class  forming  France.  Yet  his  gles  in  recent  decades  to
            pened.                       did, they took to French air-  French people.             costly promises will make it  keep up with globalization.
            Speaking with a soft voice  waves and social media to  He responded to several of  even more difficult to boost  And  he  denounced  the
            and  gentle  tone,  Ma-      dissect his promises.        the  protesters’  demands,  growth  —  already  being  protest-associated        vio-
            cron  pleaded  for  a  return  “It  doesn’t  solve  the  prob-  promising measures that in-  hammered by protests that  lence that led to hundreds
            to  calm  after  almost  four  lem,”  a  protester  in  a  yel-  cluded:               have damaged holiday re-     of injuries, more than 1,000
            weeks of protests that start-  low vest, Alain Bouche, told  -a   government-funded  tail sales and worried tour-   arrests  and  the  ransacking
            ed in neglected provinces  BFM  television  from  a  yel-  100-euro  increase  in  the  ists and foreign investors.  of  stores  in  some  of  Paris’
            to oppose fuel tax increas-  low-vest  roadblock  south-  minimum  wage  starting  at  “It’s  more  of  a  budgetary  richest neighborhoods.
            es  and  progressed  to  riot-  west of Paris. He said fellow  the  beginning  of  the  new  adjustment than a change  Authorities will show “no in-
            ing in Paris and a plethora  demonstrators  want  a  na-  year                         of  political  course,”  said  dulgence” to those behind
            of broad demands.            tional referendum, too.      -the  abolition  of  taxes  on  Benjamin Cauchy, a yellow  the  vandalism  and  rioting,
            It’s  a  turning  point  in  Ma-  Some  protest  representa-  overtime pay in 2019     vest protest representative.  Macron  said,  adding  that
            cron’s  presidency,  and  a  tives have said more dem-    -asking profit-making com-   “That  doesn’t  correspond  “no anger justifies” attack-
            crucial  moment  for  both  onstrations  will  be  held  panies to give workers tax-   to what the French want.”    ing police or looting stores.
            France  and  Europe.  Ma-    Saturday,  following  those  free year-end bonuses        Some  protesters  just  want-  Political analyst Dominique
            cron rode to the presiden-   in  Paris  that  turned  violent  -slashing a tax hike on small  ed  one  thing:  Macron  to  Moisi  said  the  important
            cy  last  year  on  promises  during  the  previous  two  pensions, acknowledging it  announce “I quit.”            thing  in  Macron’s  speech
            of  rejuvenating  France’s  weekends.                     was “unjust.”                He showed no signs of giv-   was not only “what he said
            stagnant  economy  and  Meanwhile,  students  op-         One  thing  he  didn’t  do:  ing in. Instead, he defend-  but the way he said it.”
            salvaging  European  unity.  posing changes in key high  restore  a  special  tax  on  ed  his  political  indepen-  Macron sought to establish
            His credibility on both fronts  school tests are calling for a  households   with   assets  dence  and  described  his  his  authority  by  declaring
            is  now  deeply  damaged,  new round of protests Tues-    above  1.3  million  euros  devotion to serving France.  he  wouldn’t  tolerate  vio-
            just as the EU struggles with  day.                       ($1.5  million)  that  he  had  No  French  presidential  or  lence,  but  also  “gave  the
            Britain’s  chaotic  exit  and  Macron declared an “eco-   slashed  last  year.  Yellow  parliamentary    elections  impression  that  he  under-
            as  France’s  protests  have  nomic  and  social  state  of  vest  protesters  decry  the  are scheduled until 2022.  stood what is  happening,”
            prompted  copycat  move-     emergency,”  ordering  the  end of the tax and wanted  The  most  remarkable  part  Moisi said.q
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