Macron Responds to Yellow Vests With Promise of Tax Cuts, Higher Pensions

• 04.26.2019, 11:04
•  Europe

sky.com

French President Emmanuel Macron has given a long-awaited response to the yellow vest protest movement with promises of tax cuts, higher pensions and a reform of the civil service, BBC reports. 

Despite insisting that order must return, he acknowledged a "lack of trust" in the establishment.

President Macron recognised that at the core of the movement were "fair demands".

The protests against the fuel price rises - intended to fund eco-friendly projects - escalated into the gilets jaunes, or yellow vest, movement, a national uprising against what protesters see as economic injustice in France.

Although he questioned in his speech whether he had taken a "wrong turn", he insisted that government reforms so far had been right, but not fast enough.

The president said he had "learnt a lot" from national debates held with French citizens across the country - an unforeseen political exercise.