French President Emmanuel Macron sought to take the heat out of mass anti-government protests over taxes on Tuesday, saying he had heard the anger but would not change course.
The 40-year-old centrist acknowledged that many struggling households felt penalised by an increase in fuel taxes this year, the spark for road blockades and demonstrations over the past 10 days.
He offered minor concessions, saying he would propose a mechanism to adjust tax hikes when they occurred at the same time as an increase in oil prices internationally -- as they have this year.
And he called for a three-month national consultation to draw up a roadmap for accelerating the country's transition away from fossil fuels -- which he insisted remained his overall objective.
"What I've taken from these last few days is that we shouldn't change course because it is the right one and necessary," he told lawmakers at the Elysee palace in Paris.
In an hour-long speech, Macron repeated several times that he had understood the anger expressed by hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets in high-visibility yellow jackets.
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He conceded that many French people felt that taxes were "imposed from above" and promised to accelerate the work of the government to lighten the load for working families and cut public spending.
One of the most frequent complaints from the so-called "yellow vests" is Macron's perceived elitism, as well as his pro-business policies since taking office in May last year.
"I have seen like many French people the difficulties for people who have to drive a lot and have problems making ends meet at the end of the month," he said.
"I believe very profoundly that we can transform this anger into the solution."
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