Post by mouse on Jul 14, 2019 3:00:32 GMT -5
© LOIC VENANCE Remaining "yellow vests" are now working to tackle lack of organisation and leadership
"It's lost some of its originality."
France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner last month launched a review of police tactics after hordes of protesters were seriously injured in charges and by devices such as sting-ball grenades.
And insurance companies have dished out millions of euros in compensation to business owners whose stores were robbed or damaged during marches.
But public support for the yellow vests remains strong, said Bruno Jeanbart, deputy chief at the polling firm OpinionWay.
In its latest survey in early July, 44 percent of French people said they supported the yellow vests.
"It's an incredibly high figure for a movement which has practically disappeared," he told AFP.
"When there are violent clashes in protests, public opinion generally turns against them. The yellow vests have largely managed to avoid that."
- 'Frustration hasn't disappeared' -
The protesters' calls for reforms such as a hike in the minimum wage and more direct democracy resonate with many who see Macron -- an ex-banker -- as elitist and out-of-touch.
Particularly explosive could be a pension reform which would see "incentives" to work beyond the retirement age of 62.
And while Macron navigated the EU parliament elections earlier this year -- with his ruling party just about saving face in second place behind the far right National Rally -- he faces a long road to the 2022 presidential polls