News / Interviews

No future for Macron unless people demands met: Analyst

Monday, 10 December 2018 1:36 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 10 December 2018 7:44 PM ]

French President Emmanuel Macron will not have a future unless he meets some of the “yellow vest” protesters’ political and economic demands, says an analyst.

“Historically, the French people have shown that they know how to protest when their lives are being adversely affected by the French state, and in 2018 the French people are demonstrating this again. Now the protesters … are showing their anger towards the various malignant manifestations of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism which are plaguing France,” Marcus Papadopoulos, publisher and editor of Politics First, told Press TV in an interview on Monday.

“I do suspect he [Macron] is going to give in to some of the political demands and some of the economic demands and as I said … the French have shown that they will not stop protesting until their demands are met and Mr. Macron will not have a future unless he meets some of their demands,” he added.

For several weeks, people in France have been protesting the economic policies of Macron, who has been labeled as the “president of the rich.”

The unrest has inspired similar protests in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Macron gave in to some of the protesters’ demands earlier in the week regarding measures to help the poor and struggling middle classes, including by scrapping a planned fuel tax hike.

The move marked a major departure for a French president who had vowed not to be swayed by mass protests.

Another popular demand of the protesters is a reversal of Macron’s decision to slash taxes on France’s wealthiest in a bid to boost investment and create jobs — something he has so far ruled out.