Macron must unify France as unrest is hurting economy, says Le Maire

President Emmanuel Macron needs to unify a country divided by the forces of globalisation, in a national addresses on Monday and end anti-government protests that will cut economic growth by about 0.1 percentage points, France’s finance minister said.

Protesters rioted in Paris and cities across France on Saturday in a fourth weekend of unrest that first erupted over high living costs but has morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion.

“Our country is deeply divided, between those who see that globalisation has benefited them and others who can’t make ends meet, who say ... globalisation is not an opportunity but a threat," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Reuters.

"It is the president's role to unify the country." Le Maire would not be drawn on a figure for annual economic growth in 2018 but said the wave of unrest was hurting France's image among foreign investors and would knock 0.1 percentage points off output in the final quarter. Reuters