Emmanuel Macron has suffered a new low ahead of this weekend’s unprecedented street protests against his presidency. The embattled French leader saw his poll approval plummet to a new low this week as the protests grow in numbers. Protesters have already started to flood Parisian streets today in a bid to “shut down” the city in revolt against government policies.
According to a poll published yesterday, Mr Macron’s popularity has slipped to a new low.
Pollster BVA found only 26 percent of French people have a favorable opinion of the president – a drop of three points from last month.
This follows the sudden protests last week which left two people killed and more than 530 injured.
The initial revolt was centred around fuel price hikes but have since morphed into a wider demonstration against inequality and the political class.
This morning, French police have already responded to the protest march with tear gas and water cannons.
Around 3,000 security personnel have been deployed to deal with the rally in the city.
Agnes Poirier, a French journalist, told Sky News: “Last weekend, 300,000 came onto the streets. It was unlike any other protest before.
“The sheer number of injuries and the fatalities were largely due to the unexpected and spontaneous nature of the protest.
“Eight of ten people in French support the movement. It is a general ‘fed up’ movement.
“This is the first real test of Macron’s Government. They have been slow to respond. This could become quite dangerous for them.”
The movement, nicknamed the ‘yellow vests’, has no leader and its barricades at tollbooths, roundabouts and fuel depots have been organised through social media.
A poll for Le Figaro on Friday showed 77% of French people felt the planned protests were legitimate.
Last night, a man wearing an explosive device turned himself into police in western France last night, with a demand for a meeting between the protesters and the French president.
He surrendered after several hours of negotiations with police, according to the Maine-et-Loire department.
In a sign of escalating threats, local official Bernard Gonzalez said: “There was a real risk, real danger, he had an explosive charge around his neck. This was not fake.”