Macron's 'year of national cohesion' ends in tatters

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President prepares annual address amid security clampdown and continuing unrest

More than 147,000 security forces will be deployed to New Year’s Eve celebrations across France as gilets jaunes anti-government protesters were expected on the Champs Élysées in Paris and Emmanuel Macron prepared a televised address on his plans for 2019 amid plummeting approval ratings and continuing unrest.

Tens of thousands of police officers, military personnel, civil security guards and firefighters will be stationed in major cities in part due to the ongoing terrorist threat after a gunman killed five people at Strasbourg’s Christmas market earlier this month. But security has also been reinforced in Paris and cities including Bordeaux and Nice in case of surprise anti-government protests by the gilets jaunes – or “yellow vests” – movement.

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from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2sat64t

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