Following four weeks of "Yellow Vest" protests which have erupted into violence at times, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated Monday that his government can no longer ignore the demands of hundreds of thousands of citizens—announcing a minimum wage increase and a cancellation of a tax on retirees, but still refusing to relent on one of his most widely-criticized tax reforms.

In a pre-recorded televised address, Macron told the country that the minimum wage would be raised by €100, or $113, per month. As part of the "concrete measures" he said must happen to alleviate the suffering of low- and middle-income French households, a planned tax on pensions under €2,000 will be canceled and overtime pay will be tax-free.

The announcement follows weeks of protests which first began in rural areas but have spread across the country, with Parisian officials calling for a lockdown over the weekend after more than 100,000 protesters poured into the city's streets. More than 1,200 demonstrators were arrested on Saturday.

On social media, some observers applauded the extreme measures taken by the demonstrators and pointed out that Macron would have been able to ignore the demands of the Yellow Vests if they hadn't forced him to relent.

The exact focus of the protests has shifted since they began in mid-November, but central to the message of the Yellow Vests is anger over what they see as Macron's government "for the rich."

The government was forced to suspend a fuel tax last week, addressing the original reason for the demonstrations. Commuters from rural areas had grown angry that they would be far more affected by Macron's climate policy than corporate polluters and wealthy people in Paris and other cities. By the time Macron announced that the tax would be delayed, healthcare workers and students had joined the demonstrations to decry working conditions and education reforms.

Macron's address Monday appeared as an urgent attempt to regain control and trust in a country where more than two-thirds of French voters now approve of the Yellow Vests.

"I may have given you the impression that this was not my concern, that I had other priorities," Macron told the nation. "I take my share of responsibility."

But Macron refused to budge on his massive cut to the government's "wealth tax," which he introduced last year, cutting the taxes of the richest French households by 70 percent.

Previously, organizers denounced Macron's concession regarding the fuel tax as offering the French only "crumbs," and the Yellow Vests suggested Monday that while they've noted their progress, with the "wealth tax" cuts still in place, they hope for further movement from the president.

Thierry Paul Valette, an organizer of the demonstrations, told France 24 that the minimum wage hike represents the "start of dialogue certainly."

"Meanwhile," he said, "we continue the mobilizations." </s> French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed an important address to the nation that was to lay out his response to the yellow vest crisis because of the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.

French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed an important address to the nation that was to lay out his response to the yellow vest crisis because of the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.

He was planning to announce a series of measures after three months of a national debate that encouraged ordinary people to propose changes to France’s economy and democracy.

Instead he headed to the scene of the fire in Paris.

When he does speak, Mr Macron is expected to respond to protesters’ concerns over their loss of purchasing power with possible tax cuts and measures to help retirees and single parents.

Other proposed changes could affect France’s democratic rules. Some observers say Mr Macron may open up the possibility that citizens could propose referendums.

The French leader has repeatedly said he will not reintroduce a wealth tax on the country’s richest people — one of the protesters’ major demands.

The yellow vest movement, prompted by a fuel tax hike in November, has expanded into a broader revolt against Mr Macron’s policies, which protesters see as favouring the rich and big businesses.

Their protests, which often turned violent, especially in the capital, provoked a major domestic crisis that sent Mr Macron’s popularity to record low levels.

The number of demonstrators has been falling in recent weeks.

Most yellow vest leaders have urged supporters not to take part in Mr Macron’s national debate, saying they did not believe the government’s offer to listen to the people.

Ingrid Levavasseur of the yellow vests published an open letter on Monday demanding measures to boost purchasing power and maintain public services.

Mr Macron has already made concessions, but they failed to stop the anger of the yellow vest movement.

In December, he abandoned the fuel tax hike, scrapped a tax increase for retirees and introduced a 100-euro (£86) monthly bonus to increase the minimum wage, a package estimated at 10 billion euros (£8.6 billion). </s> Facing exceptional protests, French President Emmanuel Macron is promising to speed up tax relief for struggling workers and to scrap a tax hike for retirees.

The actions were the pledges Macron made on Monday night in his first public comments since protests against his presidency devolved into rioting in the French capital.

The French leader reiterated earlier promises to raise the minimum wage and pledged to abolish taxes on overtime pay starting Jan. 1, several months before schedule.

He also said a tax hike pensioners faced would be scrapped.

All of the measures offered had been demanded by the yellow-vested protesters who have led four weeks of increasingly radicalized demonstrations against Macron's presidency, seen as favoring the rich. </s> French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged to cut taxes for pensioners and raise the minimum wage in January but refused to reinstate a wealth tax, as he sought to respond to a wave of protests that have challenged his authority.

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged to cut taxes for pensioners and raise the minimum wage in January but refused to reinstate a wealth tax, as he sought to respond to a wave of protests that have challenged his authority.

"We will respond to the economic and social urgency with strong measures, by cutting taxes more rapidly, by keeping our spending under control, but not with U-turns," Macron said in a TV address to the nation. </s> Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to cut taxes for pensioners and raise the minimum wage in January but refused to reinstate a wealth tax, as he sought to respond to a wave of protests that have challenged his authority.

"We will respond to the economic and social urgency with strong measures, by cutting taxes more rapidly, by keeping our spending under control, but not with U-turns," Macron said in a TV address on Monday night.

It was the first time he had addressed the nation since the anti-tax protests that resulted in riots in Paris began a month ago.

He acknowledged "anger and indignation" among the public over the cost of living, but he also said "no indulgence" would be given to people behind the protest violence.

He said "no anger justifies" attacking police or looting stores, saying both threaten France's cherished liberty. </s> President Emmanuel Macron addressed the French nation Wednesday, promising a 100 euro a month increase in the minimum wage, tax-free overtime pay, and year-end bonuses following the Yellow Vest protests.

The French leader immediately denounced the violence of the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) at the beginning of his speech, saying “The events of recent weeks in France and overseas have deeply troubled the nation. They have mingled legitimate claims and an unacceptable level of violence,” Le Monde reports.

Macron went on to add that, “calm and the Republican Order must prevail” and noted that he understood the anger of the protesters in contrast to those committing violence who he described as having legitimate anger over and have “no hope” due to their financial situations where many are struggling to get by.

The first concrete proposal from the French leader was a 100 euro per month increase in the minimum inter-professional growth wage (SMIC) formally known as the guaranteed minimum wage, which will begin in the new year.

Next, Macron stated that there would be changes to the Generalized Social Contribution (CSG), a levy which is used to pay for social security, saying that he would cancel payment increases for retirees making less than 2,000 euros per month.

“I will ask all employers who can, to pay an end-of-year bonus to employees, which will be tax-free,” Macron added and went on to add that overtime work will not be subject to taxes or other charges starting in 2019.

Addressing the Yellow Vests directly Macron said, “I do not forget that there is anger, indignation, and many French people share it,” and took responsibility saying, “I was able to hurt some of you with my comments.”

After promising to work with businesses and mayors across the country in the coming weeks, Macron concluded his speech saying, “We will not resume the course of our lives without anything having changed. We are at a historic moment for our country. My only concern is you. My only fight is for you. Our only battle is for France.”

Far-left France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, a key supporter of the Yellow Vests, commented on the speech saying, “To the indignation of the large number against the fact that some have everything and others nothing, the president thought that a distribution of money would suffice to calm the current citizen uprising.”

“In all that has been announced by Macron, everything will be paid by the people; nothing will be paid by the rich,” he said and called on protesters to gather again on Saturday for “Act V” of the protests which he described as a “moment of great mobilization.”

In an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV, a Yellow Vest protester also reacted to the speech saying to Macron, “If you still have respect for your people, resign.”

The speech comes after four weeks of protests that have seen some of the worst levels of rioting and violence in France in decades, including this past weekend when over a thousand protestors were arrested and violence occurred not only in Paris but spread across the country to Bordeaux and Toulouse. </s> EMBATTLED FRENCH PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron has announced a €100 per month increase in the minimum wage from next year in a major concession to “yellow vest” protesters who have roiled the country.

The minimum wage was set at €1,498 per month pre-tax in 2018 and €1,185 after tax.

Macron also rolled back most of an unpopular increase in taxes on pensioners which was introduced by his government.

In an address to the nation, the 40-year-old former investment banker also struck a more humble tone than usual as he sought to address criticism of his style of leadership.

“I know that I have hurt some of you with my statements,” he said.

He stressed, however, that the protests by mostly low-income people in small town or rural France were the result of long-term problems.

“Their distress doesn’t date from yesterday. We have ended up getting used to it,” he said.

“These are forty years of malaise that have come to the surface,” he added.

With the protesters vowing to remain at the barricades until their demands are met, Macron’s first public remarks on the crisis in over a week were billed as the most important of his presidency.

Le Parisien newspaper hailed the speech as Macron’s “moment of truth” on its front page, warning that if he failed to appease the anger, “France will enter a dangerous period of political instability”.

Earlier today, he held four hours of crisis talks at the presidential palace with government ministers, parliamentary leaders, business and labour representatives and regional officials.

Elected in May 2017 on a promise to revitalise the sluggish French economy, Macron had voted not to be swayed by street protests.

In an attempt to quell the revolt, the government agreed last week to cancel a planned increase in anti-pollution fuel taxes — the spark behind the protests in car-dependent rural and suburban France.

But the move was seen as too little, too late by the protesters, who held a fourth round of protests on Saturday to press for further concessions on reducing inequality.

The month-long campaign of nationwide road blockades and weekend protests in Paris, three of which degenerated into destruction and looting, have taken a toll on the French economy.

The central bank has halved its fourth-quarter growth forecast to just 0.2% from 0.4%, far below the 0.8% growth needed to meet the government’s full-year target of 1.7%.

Protests continued up and down the country today, including near Vichy, central France, where a tax office was padlocked by yellow vests who also stopped trucks going in and out of a L’Oreal cosmetics factory.

High school students also continued to demonstrate in and around their schools, forcing 40 of them to close.

The students have latched on to the yellow vest movement to protest educational reforms, along with plans by Macron to reintroduce a month-long “national service” for young people aged 16 or 17.

Embattled French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to offer fresh concessions on Monday to try end the yellow vest protests that have shaken the country and taken a heavy toll on its economy. </s> Trying to quell violent protests across France's major cities, President Emmanuel Macron on Monday introduced a series of new measures he hopes will chart a path out of the political crisis and put an end to the anti-government demonstrations.

In a 13-minute speech from the Elysée Palace, Macron declared "a state of social and economic emergency," offering a handful of concessions to his critics, including promises to deliver tax relief for the poor and to cancel a tax increase on retirees.

It was his first public address after a week of silence, during which the gilets jaunes — yellow vests — protests continued to wreak havoc and mayhem on the streets of Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Dijon and Toulouse for the fourth weekend in a row.

Macron's plan to placate the yellow vests included a 100 euro per month minimum wage hike — equivalent to $114 per month — set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. He paired the raise with the elimination of tax on overtime and end-of-the-year bonuses, and he encouraged employers "who can" to give bonuses as a way of helping to solve the social crisis in France. He also rescinded a planned tax on pensions that are under 2,000 euro per month.

These were among a wide range of demands by the yellow vests protesters, whose movement has gained widespread support after initially rallying against Macron's proposed fuel tax that was supposed to go into effect in January.

Macron cancelled the fuel tax last week hoping it would appease protesters and put an end to the rioting and looting in many cities.

In the four weeks since they started, the violent demonstrations have caused millions of euros in damages — in Paris alone, the city estimated the Dec. 1 protest caused about 3.4 million euros (nearly $4 million U.S.) in damage. And NPR's Jake Cigainero reported the French commerce federation said businesses have lost at least a billion euros (more than $1.1 billion U.S.) in sales.

The president, who has been accused by the yellow vests of being arrogant, out of touch and committed only to representing the interests of the rich, addressed France's struggling middle class and pensioners in soothing and sympathetic tones in the prerecorded speech on Monday. He said he understands the anger against his government runs deep and has been decades in the making.

"I may have given you the impression that this was not my concern, that I had other priorities. I take my share of responsibility. I know I have hurt some of you with my words," Macron said.

Macron's move to raise wages appeared to go against advice from Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud, who on Sunday told the Associated Press, "there will be no boost for the Smic (minimum wage)," because "it destroys jobs."

Cigainero reported that French television station BFM TV, showed yellow vests protesters watching the most anticipated speech of Macron's presidency huddled around small television sets in makeshift encampments.

One of them, Alain Bouché, acknowledged the president had made concessions but told the network yellow vest members will decide if Marcon's emergency measures will be enough to stop the demonstrations.

"If they're proposing it now, the government could have done it weeks ago," Bouché said. "So why did they wait until there was conflict and violence?"

Although he admitted he is partly to blame for the protests, the president condemned the violence seen at yellow vest demonstrations. He said calm and order must reign.

"No anger justifies attacking a police officer, a gendarme, or damaging a shop or public building. When violence is unleashed, freedom ends," Macron said.

He ended the brief speech by saying he would meet mayors region by region to chart a new program.

Then he addressed an issue that has not come up on the long list of demands by the yellow vests: He said his government would take measures to control immigration in what appears to be an attempt to prevent the narrative from being hijacked by the far right. </s> French riots over proposed fuel taxes and higher living costs have killed three people since the protests began more than two weeks ago, according to police.

Hundreds of thousands of people across France began protesting gas tax hikes and the increasing cost of living, largely because of French President Emmanuel Macron’s environmental agenda, around mid-November. Protesters, called “yellow vests” after the neon yellow traffic vests they wear, began blocking streets and highways across the country.

Thousands have traveled to Paris to rally in the nation’s capital city. The protesters have clashed with police dressed in riot gear and operating fire engines to spray back crowds of yellow vests. Police arrested hundreds of rioters.

At least 110 people were injured in protests Saturday, including 20 police officers. One person was killed during the riots over the weekend.

French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet has promised to use the full force of the law against violent protesters and to discourage illegal actions, the BBC reports.

“It’s difficult to reach the end of the month. People work and pay a lot of taxes and we are fed up,” Rabah Mendez, a yellow vest in Paris from French suburbs, told The Associated Press.

The yellow vests are a mix of right and left-wing protesters. The vast majority are working class people fed up with high taxes and stagnant wages that are making each paycheck worth less. Many are running out of money with more than a week left to go until the next payday.

French President Emmanuel Macron returned to his country roiled by protests Sunday after a trip to Argentina. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had planned to attend the United Nations’ climate summit in Poland this week, but canceled the trip to focus on the domestic unrest.

In the face of the protests, Macron has not backed off a proposal to raise gas taxes even higher to combat global warming. The government’s lack of action to answer the protesters demands has riled yellow vests even more.

“Their response has poisoned the situation even more,” a French protester told The New York Times.

“The citizens have asked for lower taxes, and they’re saying, ‘Ecology,’” the protester said, referencing a speech last week where Macron outlined plans to transition France from fossil fuel to renewable energy.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the country following the yellow vests protests. While refusing to reinstate a wealth tax or back down on the current reform agenda, he promises an increase to the minimum wage and to remove some taxes on low income earners.