Two days ago we wrote about the massive riots in France. The issue involved the arbitrary fuel tax hike that was to take place on January 1, 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron had to cut short his G20 trip to fly home and deal with this mess he and the government created. Would the government hold firm or would they blink? France blinked.

In a major concession by President Emmanuel Macron, France will suspend for six months a tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel that had been slated for January, in an attempt to quell weeks of protests and rioting by the so-called Yellow Vests movement.

As our readers commented on the earlier post, it’s not just the fuel tax hike that they are protesting against. It’s the excessive regulations imposed upon their travel, which is a mandatory 50mph speed limit. It’s the excessive fees and taxes on many other day to day expenditures as well. Which are wreaking havoc in the rural areas as well as the cities. 

The movement quickly latched onto much wider and deeper discontent with Mr. Macron’s fiscal policies, which were seen even by economists close to him as favoring the rich. The protesters did not miss the fact that the president had moved quickly to eliminate the tax on the wealthy, and then proceeded to raise taxes on pensions and gasoline.

Protesters say that their purchasing power has dwindled so much that they have trouble making ends meet in rural areas and in the suburbs and exurbs of big cities, where people need cars not just to get to work but also to conduct their daily lives.

To the protesters, Mr. Macron, a 40-year-old former banker with no political experience before he was elected, is concerned about “the end of the world,” while they are worried about “the end of the month.”

Macron’s tone-deafness, climate change virtue signaling, and inexperience has led to this. But of course, with the fuel tax deferred for six months, those who live in reality see that Macron’s concession is only in hopes of temporary appeasement.

Christophe Chalençon #GiletJaune, sur le moratoire: "Ce n'est pas ac ça qu'on va faire rentrer les gens chez eux".

La contestation a largement dépassé ce point. #Macron doit annuler & non simplement reporter de 3 mois l'augmentation de taxes. Et redonner la parole aux Français. pic.twitter.com/J67ejovEax

— Franck Allisio (@franckallisio) December 4, 2018

Translation:

Christophe Chalençon #GiletJaune, on the moratorium: “This is not what we are going to bring people home” The challenge has gone far beyond that point. #Macron must cancel & not just postpone the tax increase by 3 months. And give the French back the floor.

Yeah, I’d say Macron needs to listen to the citizens of France instead of the idiot climate change enthusiasts. Al Gore, Shut Up.

CNN wants us to believe that this is about the scary leap in oil prices. Except facts!

The price of oil today is 12% lower than it was when 2018 began. But @CNN has an agenda that doesn't include reporting the truth, so it includes months-old information to hide the real reason for the riots: fuel in France is unaffordable entirely because of taxes and government. pic.twitter.com/GH6Os5Xo8V

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 2, 2018

Furthermore, its not just the ill-advised fuel tax hike that is the issue.

In his address Tuesday, Philippe also announced electricity and natural gas prices will be frozen until May 2019, a move aimed at improving spending power.

Yes, pretty significant tax hikes on utilities were planned as well.

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Who would that hurt? Retirees, farmers, winemakers, along with small and medium businesses all over the country. All of that combined would be a major negative impact on their bottom line. While I don’t like the violence of the riots, I can certainly understand the frustration the people of France feel about a government that is more concerned with championing debunked hockey stick science instead of dealing in reality.

This climate change stuff that the France government along with idiots on the Left in the U.S. are touting is causing more harm than good. Yes, I’m looking at you Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

How did that work out in France? Riots? Killings? Paris burning? Finally Macron government backing down.
Suspends increase in fuel taxes and utility rate increase until after winter. #TuesdayThoughts #MAGA https://t.co/3RmZq6qrg8

— Ronnie Spangler (@Mar4L) December 4, 2018

The New York Times claims that the tax wouldn’t be so bad because it’s only a few cents a gallon. Uh huh. Try again guys. Diesel going from $6.28 to $7.00 a gallon can break the budget of a small business in a hurry.

And yes, I’m looking at you Max Boot. You who championed Macron’s election as the best thing ever because Populism!!! You’re now butt hurt that you are being called out for your stance. Evidently we are all now Russian bots. *massive eye roll here

France blinked, but the government is still set on destroying their economy because climate change is the IN THING YOU GUYS!

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Featured Image: Kamil Zihnioglu/Associated Press