Nationwide fuel strikes and a gilets jaunes revival are challenging Macron’s fragile rule.
French president Emmanuel Macron failed to get a majority in the parliamentary elections last June. This was a serious blow to his authority – and a public repudiation of his programme. Yet he has still vowed to push through his most controversial economic reforms. After two years of generous public spending amid the Covid lockdowns, Macron now plans to usher in a period of austerity. Resistance to these reforms is growing and is now spilling out on to the streets.
