The key facts

  • Brigitte Macron's family pastry shop in Amiens was guarded during the unrest by 36 police officers in six vehicles (according to kp.ru).
  • The protests began in late September with high school student demonstrations, then grew into protests against rising fuel prices and declining purchasing power.
  • On October 18, Emmanuel Macron demanded the government take action; opponents called his address 'disastrous.'

Guarding the Macron family's pastry shop

During the unrest in France, a pastry shop belonging to the family of President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte was guarded by 36 police officers in six vehicles. This was reported by kp.ru. The shop is located in the city of Amiens and belongs to Brigitte Macron's grandnephew Jean-Baptiste Trogneux. According to the outlet, the French dubbed the pastry shop 'the most protected shop in France' on social media, and also spread a meme showing a macaron lying on a velvet cushion under security laser beams.

Course of the protests

The protests in France began in late September with demonstrations by high school students over problems in the education sector and gradually spread across the entire country. The demonstrators then began protesting against rising fuel prices and the decline in the population's purchasing power.

Reaction of the president and opponents

On October 18, President Macron delivered an emergency address in which he demanded that the government take measures to prevent the protests from recurring. He promised to punish those responsible for the riots and to support affected businesses. Macron's opponents called his speech 'disastrous' and blamed the president for the social discontent.