Yellow vests: a record number of arrests, damage in Paris and in several cities, Macron expected to turn …

 

While the movement of “yellow vests” continued Saturday, the French president has not spoken yet this weekend.

According to the mayor of Paris, the Saturday demonstration did far more damage than the past week. In question, a greater dispersion of protesters despite the increased security of law enforcement.

Anne Hidalgo lamented Saturday night “scenes of chaos” in the capital and “immeasurable damage” for the economy and the image of the city. The demonstration of “yellow vests” gathered about 10,000 people in Paris, against 8,000 on December 1.

“There will be much more damage from the day yesterday than a week ago”, according to Emmanuel Grégoire, who is in charge of the budget of the capital, and “a much higher economic cost”, due in particular to many shops remained closed, in what is traditionally a highlight of shopping before the holidays.

Some 136,000 protesters on Saturday, a record number of arrests in Paris, material damage in the capital and regions but fewer wounded: after a fourth day of mobilization of “yellow vests”, Emmanuel Macron will announce new measures in response to this crisis that puts his quinquennium to the test.

Many ministers were already on the media front Sunday morning, like Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, according to which these disorders represent “a catastrophe for our economy.”

“Obviously, we have underestimated the need of our fellow citizens to speak, to say the difficulties they are and to be involved in the construction of solutions,” said the spokesman for his part. from the government Benjamin Griveaux. Emmanuel Macron must speak “very early in the week” and strong and concrete social measures are expected.

A total of 1,723 people were arrested throughout France on Saturday, during the fourth act of the mobilization of “yellow vests”, and 1,220 were placed in police custody, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice. Sunday interior.

In the capital alone, the police carried out a record number of 1,082 arrests on Saturday, against 412 on 1 December.

According to a provisional national report of the Directorate-General for Health, 179 wounded people were taken care of throughout the territory by hospital medical teams.

This fourth Saturday of mobilization was also marked by clashes and degradations in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Saint-Etienne, Nantes and Marseille. In Perpginan, the south toll on the A9 motorway was set on fire. It is closed this Sunday. In Bordeaux, the damage is considerable. It is a spectacle of desolation that offers the hyper-center of the city. Alain Juppé no longer recognizes “his” Bordeaux and admits that, in memory of mayor, he has never seen that.

The French executive, very unpopular under the pressure of this movement supported by a majority of French can not reduce this social fracture, especially as the movement of “yellow vests”, unstructured and evolving outside the established frameworks, has no real leader, making thrifty attempts difficult.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has called for a new national union. “We must” re-establish national unity, “he said Saturday night, adding that President Macron, virtually silent since the riots of last Saturday, was soon coming out of his silence.

Emmanuel Macron “will express himself. It will be up to him to propose the measures that will feed this dialogue and which will, I hope, enable the entire French Nation to come together and be up to the challenges, “added the Prime Minister.

Referring to this movement, the Minister of Europe and European Affairs said he was “worried” about democracy and institutions. At the same time, he explained that this mobilization reflected a “malaise”, which revealed “a deep feeling of territorial and social inequalities”. This new “social contract” would allow him to stop these inequalities. What I propose to Emmanuel Macron is the implementation of a new social contract, “Jean-Yves Le Drian.

After this fourth day of mobilization, the political reactions were not long in coming. Yesterday, yesterday was described as “success”. While traveling in Brussels, Marine Le Pen considered that this new action marked the failure of Emmanuel Macron’s intimidation strategy and called on him to react. Same story for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for whom, the movement of yellow vests, mark a new stage of political life.

The Head of State once again welcomed the forces sent to the field. “To all the forces of the order mobilized today, thank you for the courage and the exceptional professionalism which you showed”, posted Emmanuel Macron on Twitter.

The social network is for the moment the only channel of direct communication of the Head of State, which must nevertheless address the nation early next week, probably Monday, to provide answers to requests raised by some representatives of “yellow vests”, received at Matignon Friday.

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