Yellow Vests protests: Macron has FORGOTTEN he never had the support of French people

Speaking on BBC Global Questions in Rome, the political commentator argued Emmanuel Macron has forgotten the only reason he won the position of President of France in the last elections is that he run against anti-immigration candidate Marine Le Pen. Ms Bock claimed the French President believes his electorate agreed to his policies but the Yellow Vest movement is proof a lot of people in France do not see things eye-to-eye with him. 

She said: “The Yellow Vests did not see themselves in any of the politics in France.

“What they disagree with started with the fiscal change in France and about the inequality in France and it all goes back to the markets.

“It goes back to the fact that there are some profits but they’re always to the same people.

“Emmanuel Macron did not get the support of all the French people.

“He was democratically elected but he was elected against Marine Le Pen and that is a big thing that he’s forgotten and a lot of other people have forgotten.

“He believes that he’s been elected to implement his programme, but he’s been elected because he was facing Marine Le Pen.

“And he’s rolled out his reforms as if everyone agreed with what he was doing and it is very liberal and it is very pro-market and pro-business.

“But a lot of people don’t see themselves in that and a lot of people have seen what becomes of years of austerity after there was a big economic crisis and now everyone says we need austerity.

“That means less welfare and that means cuts everywhere and they disagree with that and that’s what led to the Yellow Vests.

“And you cannot just say ‘let’s go on with austerity because it’s the only thing we can do’.”

She warned Yellow Vests-like movements around Europe will continue to pop up in protest of EU austerity measures as a solution to temporary economic crises. 

She added: “To me, this is the basis not just of the French system but of a lot of European systems and they have been dismantled for a long time now.”

The Yellow Vest protests, which started late last year, began as a movement against Emmanuel Macron’s proposed fuel taxes.

However, the movement has even become a wide-ranging anti-establishment platform, with plans to contend in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections.

Last week, Luigi Di Maio, leader of Italy’s Five-Star Movement and the country’s deputy prime minister, caused a major rift with France on Tuesday when he met members of the Yellow Vests to show his support.

source: express.co.uk