PARIS--French President Emmanuel Macron will address the country on Monday as he seeks to placate "yellow vest" anti-government protesters who wreaked havoc in Paris this weekend.
On Sunday, workers in Paris and other cities swept up broken glass and towed away burnt-out cars while the government warned of slower economic growth and the judiciary said it would come down hard on looting and attacks on police. On Saturday, protesters, for the fourth weekend in a row, threw stones, torched cars and vandalised shops and restaurants in a protest against Macron's economic policies.
The Elysee palace said on Sunday that Macron, elected in May 2017, would address the country on Monday evening. On Monday morning, he will meet with trade unions, employers' organisations and local elected officials as he tries to formulate a response to an unstructured movement that has taken France by storm and broken through traditional political and trade union communication channels with the government.
Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said on LCI television Macron would announce "concrete and immediate" measures, but that this would not include boosting the minimum wage. "Increasing the minimum wage would destroy jobs. Many small business cannot afford it and risk going bankrupt," she said.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux warned against unrealistic expectations. "Not all the problems of the yellow vest protesters will be solved by waving a magic wand," he said.
Demonstrators were unimpressed with the government's overtures, continuing their blockade of traffic roundabouts nationwide and vowing to fight on. "I will stay here until Easter, if necessary," a protester called Didier told BFM television in Frejus, southern France.
Macron's last televised address was on Nov 27, when he said he would not be bounced into changing policy by "thugs". Since then, he cancelled a planned rise in fuel taxes last Tuesday to try to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion.
The upheaval in the Christmas shopping season has dealt a heavy blow to retailing, tourism and manufacturing as road blocks disrupt supply chains. On Saturday, the Eiffel Tower and several museums closed their doors for security reasons, as did top Paris department stores on what should have been a prime shopping weekend.
The protest movement will have "a severe impact" on the economy, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said as he toured a heavily looted central Paris neighbourhood. "We must expect a new slowdown of economic growth at year-end," he said.
