It would be a great first. Emmanuel Macron promised Saturday to receive a group of "yellow vests", during a lively exchange at the Agricultural Show with a woman questioning him on pensions, Ric and police violence. "You do not receive the" yellow vests "", launched a woman, presenting himself as a financial controller and saying having participated in the 67 Saturdays of mobilization of yellow vests since November 2018.
“You structure a group for me and I receive you without problem, I am for dialogue. We take an hour and we discuss, "replied the head of state who, throughout this crisis, never received a group of" yellow vests "at the Elysee Palace.
A few moments later, Eric Drouet, a historic figure in yellow vests, dressed in black, was expelled by the Salon police, without having managed to approach the president.
Stop demonstrations
"Everyone must find the reason," said the President of the Republic in the "yellow vest" who estimated that "it will end badly". "It's been 67 Saturdays that I have been mobilized, I have seen friends fall, I am taking grenades to disengage, I live the war every Saturday," added the lady to Emmanuel Macron.
"It is because there are people who have become extraordinarily aggressive," replied the head of state, proposing "to stop going out and demonstrate like that." Asked about police violence, Emmanuel Macron stressed that "no one engages in the police to be aggressive".
"In urban areas, it's very tense, you have to put yourself in the place of the police," he added. I don't think there are that many people on the street. Sometimes, too, you are angry at things that are not true. "
Debate yes, referendum no
Concerted pensions, Emmanuel Macron defended the reform of the government and said he was ready to "have a great debate" on the issue.
As for the citizens' initiative referendum (Ric), one of the flagship demands of the "yellow vests", the President of the Republic recalled that he was "never in favor of the popular initiative referendum", but in favor of it lower the threshold for the shared initiative referendum already in place. But for that, "we must change the Constitution and it is not I alone who can do it. "
Society
"Yellow vests" in Paris: Protesters, including Eric Drouet, verbalized during a prohibited rally
Politics
Agriculture: Government to launch broad public consultation with French citizens
- Agricultural centre
- Pension reform
- Yellow vests
- Emmanuel Macron