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Macron Has No Escape From ‘Yellow Vest’ At G20 Summit

  Heading to a G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron may have hoped for some respite from swelling protests at home that have adopted yellow … Continue reading Macron Has No Escape From ‘Yellow Vest’ At G20 Summit


French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R) and First Lady Brigitte Macron leave the plane upon arrival at Ezeiza airport, in Buenos Aires province, on November 28, 2018. Global leaders gather in the Argentine capital for a two-day G20 summit beginning on Friday likely to be dominated by simmering international tensions over trade. ludovic MARIN / AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R) and First Lady Brigitte Macron leave the plane upon arrival at Ezeiza airport, in Buenos Aires province, on November 28, 2018. Global leaders gather in the Argentine capital for a two-day G20 summit beginning on Friday likely to be dominated by simmering international tensions over trade.  ludovic MARIN / AFP

 

Heading to a G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron may have hoped for some respite from swelling protests at home that have adopted yellow vests as their emblem.

But as he got off his plane in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, the very first person he saw was clad in just such a hi-viz item — an airport employee.

The French leader shook the hand of the worker, who opened the aeroplane door, before a more official greeting on the tarmac to Macron and his wife Brigitte by Argentina’s Vice President Gabriela Michetti.

Yellow vests, the highly visible jackets worn by emergency workers, have become an emblem of increasingly forceful protests in France sparked by higher fuel taxes.

Macron is hoping to reduce carbon emissions and face the long-term challenge of climate change, but protesters say low-income families are hit hardest.

AFP