The French government will on Tuesday announce the suspension of fuel tax increases in a bid to quell fierce protests which have ballooned into the deepest crisis of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, political sources said.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will also unveil other measures to help boost the living standards of low-income households in a television address, his office confirmed.
“We need to calm the situation down to prevent it degenerating,” Philippe told a meeting of MPs from the ruling majority on Tuesday, several people present told AFP.
Pressure has been mounting after protests by the grassroots “yellow vest” movement degenerated into the worst street clashes in central Paris in decades at the weekend, leading to scores of injuries and arrests.
The concession on fuels taxes slated for January is the first time that Macron has had to give ground in the face of public opposition, a blow for a leader who has styled himself as an inflexible and determined economic reformer.
But it was unclear if the measures would assuage the anger on French streets, with both “yellow vest” leaders and opposition parties saying they were not enough.
