Hong Kong's Joshua Wong on way to Germany, US after brief detention

Yahoo – AFP, September 9, 2019

Joshua Wong has been a democracy activist since he was 12 (AFP Photo/
VIVEK PRAKASH)

Hong Kong (AFP) - Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said he was making his way to Germany on Monday after he was released from a brief spell in custody following a mistake in his bail conditions.

Wong, 22, was among multiple prominent democracy advocates who were detained late last month in a roundup by police as the semi-autonomous city reels from more than three months of unprecedented pro-democracy protests.

He was accused of "inciting others to take part in unauthorised assembly" among other charges and later released on bail.

On Sunday, he said he was detained at Hong Kong airport for "breaching bail conditions" after returning from Taiwan and as he then tried to make another overseas trip to Germany. He also planned to travel to the United States after.

But he was released by a court on Monday after it emerged the detention was a procedural error and that his bail requirements allowed him to take any overseas trips that had been arranged before his arrest, local news station RTHK reported.

Before departing Hong Kong, Wong tweeted that his overnight detention was "wholly unacceptable and unreasonable".

He said he planned to meet German politicians from different parties as well as speak at Berlin's Humboldt University. He added he would also call on Germany to halt trade negotiations and arms sales to Hong Kong and China "until the human rights is put on the agenda".

His party said he would also be travelling to the United States and would return in late September, without giving details of his itinerary.

Wong began his career as an activist when he was just 12 years old and later became the poster child of the huge pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" protests of 2014 that failed to win any concessions from Beijing.

He has previously been jailed for his involvement in those protests.

Hong Kong's grandpa protesters speak softly but carry a stick

Yahoo – AFP, Vivian Lin and Jasmine Leung, September 8, 2019

'Grandpa Wong' is a regular sight at Hong Kong's street battles (AFP
Photo/VIVEK PRAKASH)

Hong Kong (AFP) - "Grandpa Wong" holds a cane above his head as he pleads with riot police to stop firing tear gas -- an 85-year-old shielding protesters on the front lines of Hong Kong's fight for democracy.

Despite his age, Wong is a regular sight at Hong Kong's street battles, hobbling towards police lines, placing himself in between riot officers and hardcore protesters, hoping to de-escalate what have now become near daily clashes.

"I'd rather they kill the elderly than hit the youngsters," he told AFP during a recent series of skirmishes in the shopping district of Causeway Bay, a gas mask dangling from his chin.

"We're old now, but the children are the future of Hong Kong."

The three months of huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese city are overwhelmingly youth-led.

Research by academics has shown that half of those on the streets are between 20 and 30 years old, while 77 percent have degrees.

But the movement maintains widespread support across the public with lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers and civil servants all holding recent solidarity rallies, even as the violence escalates.

Research by academics has shown that half of those protesting on Hong Kong's

 streets are between 20 and 30 years old but elderly people have also 

marched (AFP Photo/VIVEK PRAKASH)

Groups of elderly people -- dubbed "silver hairs" -- have also marched.

But Wong and his friend "Grandpa Chan", a comparatively spry 73-year-old, are among the most pro-active of this older generation.

The two are part of a group called "Protect the Children", made up of mostly senior citizens and volunteers.

Almost every weekend, they come out to try to mediate between police and demonstrators, as well as buy protesters time when the cops start to charge.

'Stay peaceful'

As another volley of tear gas bounded down a boulevard in Causeway Bay -- a street lined with luxury malls and fashion retailers -- Chan gripped Wong's hand tightly, stopping his old comrade from rushing back into the crossfire.

"If we die, we die together," yelled Chan, who eschews helmets and instead always wears an eye-catching red hat daubed with slogans.

While "Protect the Children" turn up primarily to defend the youth, Wong said he tries to warn protesters not to provoke police.

Almost every weekend, groups of elderly people come out to try to mediate 

between police and demonstrators (AFP Photo/VIVEK PRAKASH)

"It's wrong to throw stones, that's why the police beat them up," he lamented. "I hope that police won't hit them and the children won't throw stuff back."

"Everyone should stay peaceful to protect the core values of Hong Kong."

As Hong Kong's summer of rage has worn on the violence on both sides has only escalated.

Each weekend has brought increasingly violent bouts, with a minority of black-clad protesters using molotovs, slingshots and bricks.

Police have also upped their violence, deploying water cannons and resorting to tear gas and rubber bullets with renewed ferocity.

More than 1,100 people have been arrested, ranging from children as young as 12 to a man in his mid-seventies. Many are facing charges of rioting which carry ten years in jail.

Fears have risen for the fate for one veteran protester Alexandra Wong -- known as "Grandma Wong" -- who attended dozens of protests waving a large British flag.

While 'Protect the Children' turn up primarily to defend Hong Kong's youth, 

Grandpa Wong also tries to warn protesters not to provoke police (AFP Photo/

VIVEK PRAKASH)

She lives in Shenzhen, a city across the border on the Chinese mainland but has not been seen at the protests since mid-August when she appeared in videos looking injured after clashes with police inside a subway station.

'Let the elderly look after you'

Grandpa Wong says he understands why youngsters feel they have no choice but to protest.

He has watched over the decades as mainland China has grown more wealthy and powerful whilst remaining avowedly authoritarian.

"If the Chinese Communist Party comes to Hong Kong, Hong Kong will become Guangzhou," Wong sighed, referring to a nearby mainland city.

"The authorities can lock you up whenever they want."

Hong Kong's protests were sparked by a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to China, raising concerns over unfair trials given the mainland's record of rights abuses.

But it soon morphed into a wider movement calling for democratic reform and police accountability.

'Let the elderly look after you,' Grandpa Wong tells protesters in Hong Kong

(AFP Photo/VIVEK PRAKASH)

Roy Chan, who organises the "Protect the Children" group, says he respects what the elderly citizens do but is disappointed they feel they need to come out.

"They should have a good life at home during the last years of their lives," he says. "But they are in a war and protecting the youth."

Grandpa Wong's presence at the Causeway Bay protest came to an end as riot police eventually cleared the usually bustling shopping district.

But the next day he was right back at it -- this time at a protest near the city's airport.

"Go home kiddos," he hollered, brimming with renewed energy. "Let the elderly look after you."

Hong Kong leader scraps loathed extradition law

Yahoo – AFP, Jerome TAYLOR, Yan ZHAO, 4 September 2019

Rolling protests have put Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam under
intense pressure over recent months

Hong Kong's leader on Wednesday bowed to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters following three months of unrest, announcing the withdrawal of a loathed extradition bill, but activists vowed to press on with their campaign.

Millions of people have taken to Hong Kong's streets since June in the biggest challenge to China's rule of semi-autonomous Hong Kong since its handover from the British in 1997.

After refusing for months to scrap the bill, which aimed to allow extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China, chief executive Carrie Lam finally conceded as she called for calm and an end to violent protests.

"The government will formally withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns," she said.

Initial reports in the local media flagging Lam's announcement raised hopes that giving in to the extradition demand could help end the crisis. Hong Kong's stock market climbed nearly four percent in afternoon trade after the reports emerged.

But those hopes were quickly tempered, with pro-democracy activists voicing anger and determination to press on with their broader democracy campaign.

The protests were sparked by opposition to the extradition bill but have 

morphed into a wider pro-democracy movement

"Too little, too late," prominent activist Joshua Wong said on Twitter.

Speaking later in Taipei, he said the protests would continue.

"Our determination and courage to fight for freedom will still continue," said Wong, who was arrested late last week as part of a police swoop on leading pro-democracy figures.

"Hong Kongers deserve universal suffrage. We deserve to elect our own government."

The protests were sparked by opposition to Lam's extradition legislation, which was seen as another erosion of the liberties enjoyed in Hong Kong compared with authoritarian mainland China.

After millions of people took to the streets, Lam suspended the Beijing-backed bill and called it "dead" but refused to formally withdraw it, sparking fears it might be resurrected.

As clashes intensified, the movement evolved into a broader campaign to include demands for an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality, an amnesty for those arrested and a retraction of classifying protesters as rioters.

Another demand was for Hong Kongers to be able to directly elect their leaders -- a major red line for Beijing.

More than 1,000 protestors have been arrested in clashes with police over the 

past three months

Protester anger

Wednesday's video message from Lam was markedly more conciliatory in tone than her more recent statements.

"Let's replace conflicts with conversations and let's look for solutions," she said, announcing plans to appoint experts to advise "to independently examine and review society's deep-seated problems".

But she also repeated her reasons for dismissing the four other core demands, rejecting calls for an independent inquiry and saying neither an amnesty, retraction of the term "riot" or immediate universal suffrage was feasible.

Online message forums used by the largely leaderless democracy movement were filled with angry comments saying the bill's withdrawal would not end the protests.

"Five major demands, not one less. Liberate HK, revolution now," one widely shared message on the Telegram messaging app read.

"They've tried to shut the stable door but it's come too late," political analyst Dixon Sing told AFP, adding only an independent inquiry would start to mollify the "extremely high level of anger and injustice" among protesters and the wider public.

Felix Chung, a pro-Beijing lawmaker, said many in his camp favoured an inquiry, adding Lam's withdrawal concession was "a bit too late, but better than never".

Some 1.7 million people marched through the streets of Hong Kong on 

August 18, according to organisers

Mixed messages

For much of the past three months Lam has struck a defiant tone, appearing either unwilling or unable to make any concessions.

Then an audio recording emerged this week of Lam telling business leaders her options were "limited" by Beijing, which viewed the protests as a national security and sovereignty issue.

In the audio recording, Lam said she wanted to quit and take responsibility for triggering the unrest with the extradition plans, but that she was hamstrung by Beijing.

"For a chief executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable," an emotional Lam said in the audio recording, which was obtained by the Reuters news agency.

"If I have a choice," she said, speaking in English, "the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology."

But after the recording was released, Lam held a press conference on Tuesday to insist she had never contemplated resigning.

While Wednesday's video message appealed for calm, it also reminded protesters that challenging Beijing's authority was placing Hong Kong in a "vulnerable and dangerous" position.

"Our foremost priority now is to end violence, to safeguard the rule of law and to restore order and safety in society," she warned.

Timeline on the Hong Kong extradition bill controversy as Carrie Lam announces she will permanently shelve the bill pic.twitter.com/VsfyxeJM0Y

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 4 september 2019

Related Article:

Hong Kong protesters flood city streets for largest rally in weeks

Hong Kong protesters flood city streets for largest rally in weeks

Yahoo – AFP, Yan ZHAO, Catherine LAI, August 18, 2019

Organisers of the rally, which started at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, said it was an
attempt to wrestle the narrative of the protest back to its peaceful origins (AFP
Photo/ISAAC LAWRENCE)

A sea of democracy activists flooded the streets of Hong Kong Sunday under torrential rains in a peaceful demonstration to city leaders that their movement still draws wide public support, despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.

Hundreds of thousands of umbrella-carrying protesters poured across the heart of Hong Kong island, defying both the downpour and a police order not to march from a park where they had gathered earlier for a rally.

Weeks of demonstrations have plunged the financial hub into crisis, with images of masked, black-clad protesters engulfed by tear gas during street battles against riot police stunning a city once renowned for its stability.

Sunday's action, billed as a return to the peaceful origins of the leaderless protest movement, drew more than 1.7 million people, making it one of the largest rallies since the protests began about three months ago, according to organisers the Civil Human Rights Front.

It ended a weekend of protests that, as of early Monday, saw no major confrontations with police for the first time in weeks.

Hong Kong riot police stand in front of a restaurant while patrolling after an 

anti-government rally which, for the first time in weeks, saw no major 

confrontations with officers (AFP Photo/ISAAC LAWRENCE)

"It's been a long day and we're very tired, but to see so many people out in the rain marching for Hong Kong gives strength to everyone," said Danny Tam, a 28-year-old graphic designer.

Police said only that the approved rally in the park reached an estimated 128,000 people, not including those packed into the many surrounding streets.

The unprecedented political crisis was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland.

But protests have since morphed into a broader call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.

Anger has been sharpened among protesters by the perceived heavy-handedness of the police, who have used tear gas, baton charges and rubber bullets in incidents that have gained wide attention on social media.

"The police are doing things that are totally unacceptable," said Yim, a protester who like many others gave only one name.

Protests have morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous 

city, with anger sharpened by perceived heavy-handedness of the police (AFP Photo/

Manan VATSYAYANA)

"They are hurting citizens. They aren't protecting us."

Communist Party-ruled mainland China has sharpened its tone towards the protesters, decrying the "terrorist-like" actions of a violent minority.

Spiralling unrest, which last week saw protesters paralyse the city's airport, tarnished a campaign that took pride in its peaceful intent and unpredictability -- which demonstrators have tagged with the slogan "Be Water".

Police under pressure

Many among Sunday's rally-goers carried rucksacks stuffed with protest paraphernalia -- laser pens, gas masks, goggles and helmets.

"We have our gear with us, but we hope not to use it," said a 30-year-old identifying himself only as Man.

Late in the evening hundreds of masked protesters briefly gathered outside the government headquarters shouting "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times" before dispersing.

Protesters flouted a police order not to march from the park, pouring across the

heart of Hong Kong island despite torrential rain (AFP Photo/Philip FONG)

State media has run images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops.

Analysts say any intervention by Chinese security forces would be a disaster for China's reputation and economy.

But Hong Kong's police are under intense pressure, stretched by repeated flash-mob protests.

"Only when there were violent acts or illegal behaviours which endangered the safety of people at (the) scene, police would stop them by proportionate use of force," the police said early Monday in a statement, adding that it was "unfair" to criticise the officers under such circumstances.

Opinions among the protesters have diverged over the billowing violence, which has seen a small hardcore group using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots against the police.

There have also been several pro-Beijing rallies held in Hong Kong, although

much smaller in size (AFP Photo/Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)

Some say the violence has driven the pro-democracy movement in an uncomfortable direction.

"There are some expressing extreme views," rally-goer Ray Cheng, 30, told AFP.

"But we have tried many times with peaceful approaches... I really hope the government can listen to us."

Demands unmet

Under a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when the former British crown colony was handed back in 1997.

But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being chipped away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.

Beyond suspending the extradition bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the bill and an amnesty.

Communist Party-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone 

towards the protesters, decrying the "terrorist-like" actions of a violent hardcore 

minority (AFP Photo/Manan VATSYAYANA)

Beijing has pressured Hong Kong businesses to toe the line and condemn the protesters.

On Friday, Cathay Pacific Airways announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the pro-democracy protests.

Rainy scenes today, as tens of thousands of Hong Kong democracy activists gather with their umbrellas in a major rally to show the city's leaders their protest movement still attracts wide public support, despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing. pic.twitter.com/68KnJGzO5x

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 18 augustus 2019

Sporadic clashes as 'yellow vests' rally in France

France24 – AFP, 11 May 2019

A yellow vest protester at one of the March protests in Montpellier, southern
France AFP/File

Paris (AFP) - "Yellow vest" protesters gathered in Paris and other French cities Saturday for the 26th straight week of rallies against President Emmanuel Macron, with scattered incidents of violence but overall a marked decline in the size of the crowds.

Several hundred people began marching near the Jussieu university in the centre of the capital, chosen to show solidarity with teachers who went on strike this week against an education reform project.

"It's going to be a day in support of parents, families and everyone in the education system," Jean-Christophe Valentin, a city hall worker at the rally, told AFP.

With protests outlawed on the Champs-Elysees and a large part of central Paris, organisers had called for "national" rallies in the cities of Lyon and Nantes.

Around 2,000 to 3,000 people turned out in both cities, AFP journalists estimated, confirming the decline in attendance since the protests began in November, when it hit a high of 282,000 across France.

The interior ministry, for its part, estimated just 2,700 protesters had turned out across France as of 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), including 600 in Paris, compared with 3,600 counted at the same time last Saturday.

Tensions flared in Nantes when police charged a group of people throwing rocks and other objects, with at least one person evacuated by "street medics" among the protesters.

Officials had said they were expecting up to 500 far-left agitators in the city near France's western Atlantic coast, rekindling fears of fresh violence by so-called "black blocs".

A video reporter for CNews in Nantes was injured after being hit by a rubber bullet while filming the skirmish. "I'm fine because my support belt softened the impact," Stephane Perrier told AFP.

In both Lyon and Nantes, police used tear gas to disperse crowds as some masked protesters attempted to build makeshift barricades.

'Fatigue'

The Saturday protests have often been marred by rioting and clashes with police, prompting a crackdown that critics say has led to a disproportionate use of violence by security forces.

Several videos taken by bystanders in recent weeks, including one showing an officer hurling a paving stone toward demonstrators at a May Day rally, have prompted inquiries by police investigators.

"There's a bit of fatigue along with the fear of police violence," said Thierry Boirivant, a 44-year-old accountant who travelled to Paris from the Lyon region.

"And then there's the economic factor: it's expensive to go protest in Paris or other cities," he said.

Initially launched over fuel tax increases, the movement quickly snowballed into a widespread revolt against Macron, accused of ignoring the day-to-day struggles of low earners in small-town and rural France.

Several protesters are planning to run the European Parliament elections later this month, hoping to turn their movement into a sustained political force.

"I'm calling on Europeans to make an anti-Macron vote, even if he just finishes in second place, it would take him down a notch, bring him back down to earth so he can serve us instead of the rich," Jerome Rodrigues said in Lyon.

Rodrigues has emerged as one of the government's fiercest critics. He was already a well-known figure in the yellow vest movement when he was hit by a rubber bullet during one of the January protests and lost an eye.

"If he doesn't want to listen to us, we will keep up until he hears us, even if it means ruining his term" as president," he said.

In April, Macron unveiled nearly 17 billion euros ($19 billion) in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners to quell the protests, and vowed to better address voters' grievances after months of town-hall debates.

Huge Hong Kong protest against China extradition plan

France24 – AFP, 28 Apr 2019

The demonstration comes just days after four prominent leaders of Hong Kong's
democracy movement were jailed for their role in organising mass pro-democracy
protests in 2014 (AFP)

Hong Kong (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people hit Hong Kong's streets on Sunday to protest against a government plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, the crowds swollen by anger over the recent jailing of democracy leaders.

The extradition proposal has already sparked large protests and mounting alarm within the city's business and legal communities who fear it will hammer the financial hub's international appeal and tangle people up in China's opaque courts.

But Sunday's protest was one of the biggest in the city in recent years.

The demonstration comes just days after four prominent leaders of Hong Kong's democracy movement were jailed for their role in organising mass pro-democracy protests in 2014 that brought parts of the city to a standstill for months.

Demonstrators on Sunday chanted "Step down, Carrie Lam!" -- referring to the city's pro-Beijing leader, while many held the yellow umbrellas that symbolised the 2014 rallies.

Fanly Leung, an accountant, told AFP it was "heartbreaking" to see the activists jailed earlier this week.

"They are professors, highly knowledgable people contributing to society... They could have had a comfortable life making money and not suffer like this. It's not right to jail these good people," said Leung, 61.

Zoe Yuen, 20, came with her mother who became politically active since the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests.

"At least we have done what we should do and can tell the next generation that although we may not get what we want, at least we have resisted," the university student told AFP.

Some protesters dressed up as Chinese mainland police officers guarding another demonstrator standing behind a portable red cage.

One held up a sign that said: "President Xi Jinping, no legalised kidnapping of Hong Kong people to China".

Police said some 22,000 turned out, their highest estimate since the 2014 protests. Organisers have yet to give their estimates which are usually far higher.

Hong Kong has a separate legal system through the "one country, two systems" deal struck between Britain and China.

Historically the city has baulked at mainland extraditions because of the opacity of China's criminal justice system and its liberal use of the death penalty.

But earlier this year Hong Kong's government announced plans to overhaul its extradition rules, allowing the transfer of fugitives with mainland China, Macau and Taiwan on a "case-basis" for the first time.

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, became the latest figure to criticise the extradition proposal ahead of Sunday's protest.

"Societies which believe in the rule of law do not reach agreements like this with those who do not. These changes are an assault on Hong Kong's values, stability and security," he said.

"They create fear and uncertainty for business at a time when we should all be working to safeguard Hong Kong's reputation as one of the world's greatest business and financial centres," he added.

France's Macron vows tax cuts in response to protests

Yahoo – AFP, Adam PLOWRIGHT and Stuart WILLIAMS, April 25, 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron promised significant tax cuts (AFP
Photo/ludovic MARIN)

Paris (AFP) - President Emmanuel Macron Thursday promised significant tax cuts but also a return to public order in France as he revealed his long-awaited response to nearly half a year of street protests.

In the first formal domestic news conference of his entire presidency, Macron steered clear of bombshell announcements but promised the French a more humane style of governance.

He said he wants to scrap the elite university ENA -- a factory for top French bureaucrats and presidents including Macron himself -- but did not outline a concrete plan for doing so.

Macron, 41, swept to power in 2017 on hopes he would be a youthful breath of fresh air for France.

But over the past half year, the momentum has been knocked out of his presidency by the anti-government "yellow vest" movement which has held weekly protests against social inequality.

"I want cuts for people who work by significantly reducing income taxes," said Macron in his headline announcement at the news conference inside the Elysee Palace.

He the tax cuts would be worth five billion euros and financed by eliminating corporate tax breaks, working longer hours and reductions in public spending.

The Macron press conferencer took place in the grand Elysee Palace in Paris

(AFP Photo/ludovic MARIN)

'Just demands'

His announcement came after a vast listening exercise called the Great National Debate launched in response to the protests where high taxes emerged as one of the main gripes.

Macron defended a controversial decision to scrap a wealth tax early in his term but said it would be reviewed in 2020, adding: "It was a reform to stimulate production, not a present for the rich."

With yellow vest protests still rocking France every Saturday, Macron vowed to press ahead with reforms programme and warned the protest movement -- whose demonstrations have often turned violent -- that it is time for a return to order.

"The transformations that are in progress and the transformations that are essential for our country should not be stopped," he said.

He recognised that the yellow vest movement had led to many in France feeling "anger and impatience for change" and praised its "just demands".

But he lamented that the movement had "transformed progressively" and been hijacked partly by episodes of anti-Semitic violence, attacks on journalists and homophobia.

He said the hatred seen in some of the demonstrations marked a "regression in civic morality and education and I will fight against it with all my strength."

Yellow vest protests have been held each Saturday in Paris and elsewhere for 

almost six months (AFP Photo/Anne-Christine POUJOULAT)

'Sometimes unfair'

Macron, sitting alone at a desk at the Palace's vast main reception hall, the Salle des fetes, gave an initial speech then answered questions from reporters.

It was their first chance for some time to question a head of state who had previously only spoken to media at press conferences during foreign trips or at home with foreign leaders.

Criticised for often seeming aloof to people's daily concerns -- in one episode telling an unemployed man to "cross the road" to find a job -- Macron attempted to show a more humble side.

He said the second part of his mandate would be "more humane" and said he regretted giving a sense of "always giving out orders, being hard, sometimes unfair".

He said he wanted to put the "human being at the heart of the agenda" with a "new method" of governance.

On ENA, the post-graduate school that has educated top French politicians and public officials since 1945 and seen as a symbol of French elitism, he said: "We will need to abolish ENA, among others, to be able to build something else."

Plunging ratings

Opinion polls show his popularity rating stuck on or even under 30 percent, a far cry from the heady days after his inauguration when his approval rating was over 60 percent.

The Notre-Dame fire broke out just hours before Macron's high-anticipated 

address, which was abruptly cancelled (AFP Photo/Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT)

Macron already has his eye on the 2022 presidential election, acutely aware that his predecessors Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande only lasted one term and failed to implement lasting change.

At stake is not just his ambitious agenda to modernise France but his status as a global statesman able to stand up to US President Donald Trump and lead Europe as German Chancellor Angela Merkel steps aside and Britain is bedevilled by Brexit.

He admitted differences with Merkel, including on Brexit where Berlin has taken a tougher line than Paris.

The scheduling of the big speech was also troubled -- Macron had been due to make his announcement via a pre-recorded address which was to be broadcast on April 15.

But just two hours beforehand, Notre-Dame cathedral went up in flames, forcing the presidency to cancel the broadcast as Macron rushed out to the burning Paris landmark.

A day later, the entire text of his reform plan speech was leaked to the media, leaving a major quandary for the Elysee, which was left wondering whether to rehash the old speech or try something new.