PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to speak to the nation at last, after increasingly violent protests against his leadership.
Macron is meeting Monday morning with local and national political leaders, unions and business leaders to hear their concerns after four weeks of protests that started in struggling provinces and spread to rioting in the capital.
In the evening, he will give a national televised address in which he is expected to propose potential solutions. He hasn’t spoken publicly in more than a week, aggravating tensions.
The “yellow vest” protesters’ demands have mushroomed to include an end to other taxes, a rise in the minimum wage — and Macron’s resignation.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on RTL radio Monday that the fallout from protests could cost the economy 0.1 percent of gross domestic product.