Protests strike in France over current economy

Zahra Khan, World/Business Editor

Protests flurry the streets of Paris as many protests the high inflation that is eating away “their purchasing power” according to Reuters. The rise in the inflation rate is contributing to slow economic growth within the nation. 

Protests began this past Sunday, to raise the pressure against President Emmanuel Macron. The mounting pressure from protestors seems to be working. According to The New York Times, while there is an extremely prevalent sense of discontentment at gas stations, Macron is simultaneously witnessing labor strikes and opposition in the National Assembly. Furthermore, the National Assembly was said to have been trying to bring down his government over a “disputed budget bill” according to The New York Times. Additionally, according to NPR, these protests were organized by many left-wing opponents of Macron. 

Many of these wage strikes are against the gasoline shortages that are causing humongous lines at gas stations because many motorists and workers are depending upon the gasoline. Additionally, according to NPR, protesters are calling for emergency measures including material such as “costs of energy, essential goods and rents, and for greater taxation of windfall profits.” Many of these protestors were seen gathering at nuclear plant sites, and oil refineries according to The New York Times. While protestors protest over gas prices, the additional issue of rising living costs is not going unnoticed. For example, one of the protestors Gwenola Leroux discussed the rise in prices when buying necessities. Leroux claimed to the New York Times, “every time I buy basic necessities, I wonder if they got the prices wrong.”