Tens of thousands of trade unionists and activists from left-wing groups marched in solidarity with the Gilets Jaunes protesters in Paris yesterday to present a united front against French President Emmanuel Macron’s latest reforms package.
The March was organised by the CGT union, came ahead of the main yellow vest march in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where protesters clashed with police trying to enforce a ban in parts of the city centre.
Veterans of the protests, which have been running for six months now, led off the Paris march. However in a new development, many senior figures from the radical left marched with them, including Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of France Unbowed and one of Macron’s most vocal critics. They are looking to see Macron removed office and said the protests will continue until he is gone.
Melenchon said:
“It’s the first time that there has been a call of this kind, that’s to say union organisations, associations and political movements.”
Prominent Left-Wing Brexit Backer George Galloway took to twitter to call out the left in the UK asking why they are not showing solidarity with the predominantly working class Yellow Vest movement in France asking “are they too white, too working class, not liberal enough?”
Meanwhile French police fired tear gas in order to push back Gilets Jaunes protesters who tried to march on European Parliament building in the eastern city of Strasbourg on the 24th consecutive weekend of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies. The French Yellow Vests are increasingly adopting a hostile approach to the EU and blame the instution for many of France’s woes.
Around 2,000 protesters gathered around the seat of European Union legislative bodies in Strasbourg. Those behind the demos had planned make to the protest international by symbolically marching on the parliament building, a month before EU-wide parliamentary elections.
Local authorities had banned protests and barricaded the neighbourhood where the parliament and other EU institutions are located as they feared widespread violence and disruption. The Police were then forced to fire a series of tear gas canisters into the demonstrators in order to keep them away from the buildings. The situation is still tense with widespread reports of rioting taking place.
Under significant pressure Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hikes. The announcement on Political Islam was totally unexpected but may in part be due to the growing poll number of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally that has promised to clamp down on Political Islam and immigration.
“I want (tax) cuts for people who work by significantly reducing income taxes,” said Macron.
He said the cuts would be worth five billion euros and financed by eliminating corporate tax breaks, longer work hours and reductions in public spending.
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