Macron proposes economic reforms

French yellow vest protesters prepared for the 24th straight weekend of demonstrations despite President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to concede to their demands. In a televised address on Thursday, Macron announced plans to boost pensions and implement significant tax cuts for 15 million households. He promised to reduce the number of lawmakers in Parliament by 30 percent and ease the process for public referendums. Macron also said he will close the elite École Nationale d’Administration, an academy for civil servants and politicians that has been criticized for accepting only students from wealthy families. Macron himself attended.

The protests began five months ago over rising fuel prices and grew into demands for economic reform. Macron’s speech was originally scheduled for April 15, but was pushed back because of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral that evening. But the shifted attention and donations for rebuilding the cathedral in the weeks since further angered protesters.

According to a Harris Interactive poll, only 7 percent of the country found Macron’s proposals “very convincing.” Thierry-Paul Valette, a protest organizer, said Macron fails to understand the social movement. “We have not received satisfaction, and so we will continue the movement,” he said.