A time bomb. Emmanuel Macron’s first term was marked by the Yellow Vests movement, during which thousands of French people demonstrated every Saturday all over France. If the mobilization had ended up suffocating, some are ready to revive it and this is a fear of the government as January 19 approaches, the first day of demonstrations against the pension reform.

As La Dépêche explains, the executive fears that the anger of the French will be fueled by a misstep on the side of the government, a blunder or a short sentence that would go wrong. Quoted by the daily, a minister explains: “Since the Yellow Vests crisis, we have looked at everything as a potential risk of conflagration. The Elysée does not need to tell us not to add irritants, we know it very well. good”. Another claims that the government has “done everything” in recent months not to “annoy the French”, confined in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, then hit hard by inflation.

Walking on eggshells will not be enough, because many French people are angry and Matignon knows it all too well. According to La Dépêche, there are three subjects that could turn Thursday’s demonstration into a larger movement.

To these three subjects is added, according to the ministers, the very identity of Emmanuel Macron. One of them explains to the daily that “the presidential speech accentuates all criticism”. A finding that could be a major problem as the executive tries to make the merits of its pension reform understood.