France endures more riots

French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a televised address Monday evening, his first public statement in more than a week amid escalating protests and riots over nationwide utility and tax hikes. Macron is expected to announce a series of measures to reduce taxes and boost purchasing power, including slashing taxes on overtime and speeding up tax cuts and year-end bonuses for low-income workers. The president met with local and national politicians as well as union and business leaders on Monday morning at the presidential palace to hear their concerns.

Last Tuesday, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe suspended the hikes that initially sparked the unrest in mid-November, but yellow vest–wearing demonstrators were not deterred. At least 135,000 people attended protests across the country on Saturday, decrying high living costs and inequality and calling for Macron’s resignation. Authorities deployed 89,000 police officers ahead of the protests and closed down the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. Demonstrators vandalized shops in Paris, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons to gain control. Nearly 1,000 demonstrators were arrested, the majority for bearing weapons such as knives, tear gas, and metal balls used in the French lawn game pétanque. At least 135 people sustained injuries.

Paris tourist sites reopened Sunday, and workers and shop owners across the country cleaned up debris. Some members of the movement are reportedly planning more protests for next Saturday.