With his government rocked by ongoing yellow vest demonstrations, French President Emmanuel Macron launched a nationwide series of community conversations. But some wonder if anything will change.
"The media are all talking about us, and we actually made the government back down," says one protester at a traffic circle. "We're not about to accept the crumbs Macron has thrown us."
NPR's Scott Simon talks to French journalist Anne Nivat about the political situation in her country, where just a quarter of citizens say they approve the president's job performance.
In a speech on Monday, France's president declared "a state of social and economic emergency," offering some concessions to his critics. Among them, tax relief for the middle class and pensioners.
Nicknamed for the safety vests worn by protesters, the yellow vest movement has sparked a political crisis for the French government. In Paris, demonstrations turned into riots over the weekend.
A grassroots movement in France, the mostly working-class "yellow vests," objects to new gasoline taxes. French President Emmanuel Macron says he sympathizes, but the tax will stand.
Before a meeting of world leaders meant to signal that tragedies of the war are long past, the U.S. president called the French president's proposal for a European military "insulting."
"I don't want to give the illusion that my presence in government means we're answering these issues properly," Nicolas Hulot said, criticizing President Emmanuel Macron's environmental policies.
Video of Emmanuel Macron's top security aide beating demonstrators has sparked controversy. The incident occurred during May Day protests over reforms to France's labor laws.
In a video posted to Twitter Monday, the president of France tore into a teenager who called him 'Manu,' is a common nickname for Emmanuel in French, during an event at a World War II memorial.
The gift was symbolic, honoring U.S. troops' sacrifice during a World War I battle and the ongoing alliance with France. What to make of it, then, when the young oak went missing?
Hard-line unions once wielded tremendous power and made French presidents quake in their boots for decades. Here's how President Emmanuel Macron is defeating them.
The French president says that during elections, the law would allow the government to block content deemed to be fake news and would force news websites to disclose their source of funding.
French President Emmanuel Macron's speech laid out his vision of a united Europe that would be innovative and take risks. He called for a common EU defense force and intelligence service.
Marlene Schiappa, France's equality minister, is a 34-year-old ex-blogger who hopes to change ingrained attitudes. Her work is cut out for her — but "she is young and she is out loud," a fan says.
In answering a reporter's question, the French president characterized Africa as a continent of failing states with high birth rates. Viviane Rutabingwa shares her perspective.
