Ever since Emmanuel Macron was elected president, many have predicted that his ambitious plans to reform France would founder on the Paris street. Indeed, violent protests have been a feature of French politics for more than 200 years. Yet for 18 months, the surprise was how little resistance he faced as he drove through long overdue reforms to labour laws, the railways, the tax system and regulation. That ended on Saturday night, when protesters calling themselves the gilets jaunes, or yellow vests, took to the streets for a third consecutive weekend in protest at planned rises in diesel duty. Parts of Paris resembled a war zone, with cars set on…

Source: The Times December 03, 2018 01:41 UTC