Macron Could Stop Yellow Vest Protests Early But Was Unprepared - French MP

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron had opportunities to stop yellow vest protests from the very beginning, but was not ready to do it, Christian Jacob, president of The Republicans party parliamentary group in French National Assembly, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"Now much less people participate [in the protests]. And we are sure that from the very beginning president Macron could stop all this. I think he just was not ready", Jacob said.

The end of yellow vest protests now depends on the response that Macron and the government will give, he noted.

READ MORE: Police Use Water Cannon Against Protesters During Yellow Vests Rally in Paris

"We advocate for the cessation of violence first and foremost. It is possible to talk about the legality or illegality of demonstrations, but the violence is always illegal", the politician said.

He noted that he did not believe in the yellow vests' success in the elections to the European Parliament in case of participation due to the lack of unity.

"They are very fragmented, they do not have a unity so I am not sure of their success", he said.

The wave of the yellow vest rallies, which have been marked by clashes between protesters and law enforcement agents and public disorder, started in France in mid-November last year and have been rocking France for 17 weeks straight. While the government abandoned its plans to raise fuel taxes, which triggered the rallies initially, and introduced other measures to improve the country's socioeconomic situation, protesters continue to take to the streets across France every weekend.

The views and opinions expressed by the politician do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.