French President struggles to cope with the "yellow vest" crisis

Observers say the protests and violence by the extremist “yellow vest” group are just the “prelude” to the difficulties and challenges that Mr. Macron will face after 18 months in power.

Arc de Triomphe falls

The Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, have been transformed into an unbelievable scene in recent days. French police had to use pepper spray and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd of "yellow vest" protesters who tried to break through the security fences.

The Arc de Triomphe in the French capital Paris has witnessed the most serious unrest in the capital since 1968 in recent days. Photo: AP

Right on the Arc de Triomphe are slogans like: “Macron resigns” or “Yellow vests will win”… Hundreds of people were arrested, more than 100 people were injured in the protests and riots.

In fact, the French government's decision to increase fuel taxes had been in effect since last October. However, because it was implemented at the same time as world oil prices increased, it caused a strong wave of protests among the people, especially farmers in this country.

Although the French government claims that the fuel tax increase is to encourage people to use vehicles that consume less fuel and thereby reduce emissions that pollute the environment, thousands of people still took to the streets to protest. More dangerously, according to observers, groups from the far left, far right as well as non-governmental groups took the opportunity to mingle with the protesters and incite public opinion.

The provocation strategy seems to have succeeded, with President Macron's approval ratings in the polls falling to record lows. Not only that, but Mr. Macron's tough, uncompromising response has also added fuel to the fire, leading to accusations that he is out of touch with the masses.

The “yellow vest” movement is a protest movement against rising fuel prices and costs that is gaining widespread support in France. The movement broke out on November 17 with thousands of protesters setting up roadblocks across France to attract attention and disrupt traffic.

To deal with the situation, President Macron had to consider declaring a state of emergency during a meeting with security officials on December 2. It is expected that today (December 4), Interior Minister Christophe Castaner will also present to the Senate's Legal Committee the situation of attacks on police and vandalism by radical protesters as well as countermeasures.

The challenge has only just begun.

The last straw in recent days is not really a surprise to French public opinion. According to observers, in the first year of his term, if French President Macron is considered successful in foreign affairs, he has been quite unsuccessful in handling domestic issues.

Since taking office last year, Mr. Macron has taken many measures to reform the economy as well as public agencies. Unfortunately, the reform solutions that Mr. Macron proposed have caused controversy in public opinion.

In particular, the tax decision or the decision to allow the relaxation of tax laws and lay off workers has caused the people's approval rating for the President to continuously decrease sharply.

A series of protests and marches took place throughout 2018 against various government policies. In May, tens of thousands of people marched through Bastille Square to protest President Macron's economic reforms.

After returning from the G20 Summit in Argentina, on December 2, French President Emmanuel Macron went to the Arc de Triomphe to survey the riot situation there. Photo: AP

According to Mr. Macron, these reforms will attract more foreign investors and help the French economy compete with the world market after many years of stagnation. However, many opinions say that Mr. Macron is following the trend of focusing only on profits and not putting the interests of the working class as a priority issue.

As Philippe Martinez, head of the CGT, commented, France needs change but the government must above all take care of the lives of its people. Some even say that Mr. Macron is a president of the rich.

These developments are re-enacting the dire predictions that were made when Mr. Macron was elected President last May, with a series of challenges that are not new but have existed for nearly 20 years in France: a slow-growing economy, a heavily divided society and politics.

Mr. Macron's responsibility at that time was clearly stated, which was not only to reconcile the interests and connect the French elite but also the entire population who were very disappointed with the ruling class. In fact, for many years, the French people were extremely fed up with the political struggles between traditional political parties, causing the lives of the people to not be fully cared for.

Therefore, voters have put their trust in a "very new" President like Mr. Macron. However, after just over a year in power, with many controversial policies, the French people seem to have gradually lost patience. Combined with extremist groups always looking for opportunities to incite, the situation has become seriously unstable as it is today.

Clearly, the protests that turned into riots have not stopped at just an early test of the president's tenure, reflecting a deep decline in the president's approval rating. They are posing a huge challenge for Mr. Macron: Will he stick to his current policies or will he make adjustments to appease the people?

However, in a recent statement at the G20 conference in Argentina, President Emmanuel Macron said that although he understood the anger of some people, he affirmed that he would continue to pursue reforms, including in the energy sector.

This statement shows the French President's determination to implement the country's reform roadmap, but it also means that a new difficult period awaits Mr. Macron in the coming days./.