Title: Why are the ‘yellow vests’ protesting in France? | Emmanuel Macron | Al Jazeera
Headings: Why are the ‘yellow vests’ protesting in France?
OPINION
Why are the ‘yellow vests’ protesting in France?
Misleading the electorate
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Macron’s disdain for the poor
The protests are not rejecting climate change action

Content: Once elected, Macron showed his true colours almost immediately. He decided to amend the wealth tax – known in France as “ISF” – by narrowing it to a tax on real estate assets, rather than covering all worldwide assets over the value of 1.3m euros. This led to him being swiftly labelled the “president of the rich”. Macron’s disdain for the poor
On top of making controversial policy decisions that favoured powerful corporations and rich individuals, Macron also repeatedly demonstrated his unfamiliarity with – and at times disdain for – ordinary people struggling to survive in the country’s increasingly harsh economic environment. In 2016 while he was the minister of economy, for example, Macron was confronted by angry trade unionists and was recorded telling one young man: “ You don’t scare me with your T-shirt. The best way of paying for a suit is to work.” In a July 2017 speech Macron said train stations were wonderful places, for there you can cross paths with both “people who succeed” (people like him) and “people who are nothing” (presumably ordinary French citizens like the rest of us). In October of the same year he was filmed accusing disgruntled workers of preferring to stir up “chaos” rather than find jobs. “ Instead of kicking up bloody chaos, some of them would be better off going to see if they can get a job over there,” he said, alluding to an aluminium factory in Ussel, a region in which employers were struggling to hire new workers.