French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to take back control of his nation after a month of protests — and now an attack that has put France on renewed terror alert.
Striving to show he is responding to “yellow vest” protesters’ demands for tax relief, Macron on Wednesday maintained his planned agenda: He held his weekly Cabinet meeting and talks with big companies, notably to encourage them to give a tax-free, year-end bonus to their employees.
At the same time, Macron’s office said he was staying informed about the investigation into Tuesday’s Strasbourg attack and hunt for the gunman, who was still on the run.
“The terrorist threat is still at the core of our nation’s life,” Macron said in comments reported by government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux.
“Public order must prevail in every place and every circumstance,” Macron added.
Within government, concerns about the protests remain intense, despite the Strasbourg scare.
The attack came just 24 hours after Macron broke a long silence on the mushrooming protest movement and appealed in an unusual televised address for calm.
An estimated 23 million viewers watched him live — more than the audience for France’s victory in soccer’s World Cup final in July, and a historic record for a televised address by a president.
Macron’s office said the viewership was a positive signal: proof that the French still listen to Macron, despite calls from protesters for his resignation.
However, public opinion appeared split over whether he succeeded or not.
Some members of the “yellow vest” movement have already called for new protests tomorrow, saying that the government’s measures were not sufficient.
Others have called for a truce, citing progress.
Griveaux told reporters that it is not the government’s role to call for the end of the protests.
The government is offering conditions for a “dialogue that doesn’t take place in the street,” Griveaux added.
Three online polls conducted after Macron’s speech by the Odoxa, Opinionway and Elabe institutes showed that a majority of respondents still show sympathy for the movement, but support appears to be receding compared with previous weeks.
The protests have weakened Macron’s credibility — which also matters on the European stage.
He maintained his plan to go to Brussels yesterday for a key European summit that was to focus on the Brexit process, but his stature within the EU is somewhat diminished.
Macron’s promises to protesters could cut into French growth and hurt his efforts to stick to EU deficit limits.
Meanwhile, his government is about to face a no-confidence vote in the lower house of parliament.
The vote is not expected to succeed, as Macron’s party and allies have a strong majority in the French National Assembly.
The vote, initially scheduled for yesterday, might be postponed because of the Strasbourg shooting.
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