Majority of French people believe "Yellow Vest" protests must stop: poll

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-25 02:59:52|Editor: yan
Video PlayerClose

PARIS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Six out of ten French people were in favor of an end of weekly protests orchestrated by "Yellow Vest" movement which has turned to social rebellion against French President Emmanuel Macron's leadership, a poll released on Wednesday showed.

An Elabe online survey found the share of people who consider that the social action should stop rose to 60 percent versus 56 percent of respondents in February.

However, 40 percent believed that "Yellow Vest" protesters must continue their demonstrations, down by 3 percentage points, it added.

According to the pollster' figures, 50 percent of French say they support or have sympathy for the movement, against 53 percent in previous poll. Those who most back the spontaneous movement are from working and middle classes with 66 percent and 52 percent respectively.

Created on social media, "Yellow Vests" movement, referring the high visibility vests drivers keep in their cars, had turned into a bigger uprising denouncing a squeeze on household spending, high living costs caused by Macron's fiscal and economic policy which they say favors the rich. Some of them asked Macron to step down.

The head of state had offered a series of concessions that began with a drop of a planned high fuel tax. He also proposed "an economic and social emergency plan" worth 10 billion euros (11.15 billion U.S. dollars) to boost purchasing power.

He was due to unveil a new batch of measures on Thursday to respond to the French's complaints.

75 percent of 1,000 interviewed people on April 23-24, thought the national consultations would not fix the political crisis, while 60 percent said that the debate would not allow better citizens' participation in making decisions.(1 euro = 1.115 U.S. dollars)

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011105521380063111