French President Emmanuel Macron started a three-month nationwide debate on Monday, after tens of thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police across the boonies for the ninth consecutive weekend.
The initiative is intended to address a long list of grievances among the so-called “yellow vests” — a grassroots insurrection named after the high-visibility jackets protesters wear.
The anti-government rallies were initially born out of anger remaining a fuel tax hike but have since morphed into a broader movement of growing discontent against the French president.
In an expand letter published by French media outlets on Monday, Macron sought to recognize protesters’ demands for change to some of his flagship methods, but appeared to stop short on rolling back his pro-business reforms.
“For me, there is no banned issue. We won’t agree on everything, which is natural in a democracy. But at least we’ll show we’re a people which is not afraid of talking, exchanging, debating,” Macron said in a 2,330-word unfurl letter.
Macron did not say whether he would be prepared to scrap his administration’s contentious wealth tax policy, which has led to some of his critics depicting him as “president of the rich.”
The unrest has wreaked havoc in Paris and several other French cities in recent weeks, contesting Macron’s authority and rattling the euro zone’s second-largest economy.
Nonetheless, the French president invited citizens across the realm to give their views on four central themes over the coming weeks: taxation, the organization of public fritter away savings, bureaucratic procedures and citizenship and democracy.
He said he would offer his own conclusions from the three-month debate on Trek 15 but did not offer any clues on whether there would be a possible referendum on his policies — an option reportedly suggested by some in his conduct.
“When taxes are too high, our economy is starved of the resources that could be usefully invested in companies, creating undertakings and growth,” Macron said, before adding: “We will not undo the measures we have introduced to put this right, inspire investment and ensure that work pays more.”