Gilets Jaunes: Macron to make official statement today
French President Emmanuel Macron is to make an official statement on the Gilets Jaunes protest situation at 20h today (Monday December 10).
The 鈥渁ddress to the nation鈥� a series of 鈥渋mmediate and concrete鈥� measures designed to appease and calm the movement.
An official statement from Mr Macron has been much anticipated.
He first announced his intention to speak officially this week on Friday, ahead of Saturday鈥檚 鈥淎cte 4鈥� protests across the country, and deliberately waited until after the weekend to so do.
Before the speech, the President is holding a meeting at the 脡lys茅e Palace at 10h today, with workers鈥� union bosses, MP representatives, presidents of the Senate, and of the Assembl茅e Nationale. Council committee the Conseil Economique, Social et Environnemental will also be present.
Mr Macron is expected to present and agree upon a series of measures ahead of his statement.
The meeting and official statement come as France continues to recover from another weekend of protests.
On Sunday night (December 9), Paris public prosecutor R茅my Heitz confirmed that 1,000 people were still in police custody, including 100 minors.
Highlighting the presence of far-left and far-right among protesters, and those who came to Paris merely to cause havoc, : 鈥淭he profiles of those arrested matches that of the week before; men, under the age of 40, without previous convictions, coming to Paris to protest.鈥�
On Sunday, minister for the interior confirmed that over 2,000 people had been arrested on Saturday.
But not all protesters came with violent intentions.
Two Gilets Jaunes from the South West of France had love not war on their minds this weekend, Facebook Group to help single protesters 鈥渇ind their soulmate鈥�.
脡lisabeth Hernandez and C茅cile Destouesse, Gilets Jaunes protesters from the Landes department (40; Nouvelle-Aquitaine) - who have been protesting at the Galli猫res p茅age for the past three weekends - set up the 鈥� (Adopt a Gilet Jaune in the Landes) to help.
Set up on Saturday (December 8), the Group now has over 2,680 members.
Explaining the move, : 鈥淲e just realised that there were quite a few single Gilets Jaunes.鈥�
This is not the only act of love inspired by the national movement; on Saturday, a Gilets Jaunes couple got engaged during their protest, after one said yes to the other鈥檚 proposal outside the p茅age at S茅m茅ac (Hautes-Pyr茅n茅es).
