Emmanuel Macron wants to understand the “yellow vests”crisis as a Chance for France. The has expressed of the President at the launch of the “national debate” in the sports hall of the Grand Bourgtheroulde in Normandy. “The current period presents us with major challenges,” he said in front of 600 mayors from Normandy. France was torn by social, economic and democratic fault lines, said Macron. The contact with the population, the President sought on Tuesday. The 3700 inhabitants of the village had been cordoned off by 1200 police forces over a wide area, all access roads have been inspected. A meeting of the members of the “yellow West”movement was only tolerated at a distance from the city centre, the road roundabout. Among the Locals it came to displeasure expressions, because they, too, were pushed back by security forces from behind the barriers.

Michaela Wiegel

Political correspondent, based in Paris.

F. A. Z.

Macron short introductory words of the language, and promised that there would be at the debate “no taboos”. He had formulated in his letter to the French 35 questions, but “all questions are allowed”. The host mayor, Vincent Martin, presented the President a “complaint book” (cahier de doléance), in the 111 citizens of their actions as, at the time, in 1789, had settled written. Macron looked at it. The Communist mayor of the village of Brionne, Valéry Beuriot, exhorted Macron to take the “yellow West” in their concerns seriously. Their misery was real. You would have found in the protest movement “a second family”. The mayor said in the Complaint books, which he had designed in his community, had been repeatedly posted the request for a re-introduction of the wealth tax ISF. Macron had converted the so-called solidarity tax on wealth in a tax on real estate assets. He is accused, therefore, than to defend the President, only the interests of the Rich.