FRANCE LATEST:  ITALY'S LEADERS OFFER SUPPORT FOR YELLOW VESTS, BOXER HELD FOR TRIAL FOR FIGHTING BACK POLICE

(NEWS, COMMENT AND ANALYSIS)

"Eric Drouet, one of the leaders of the Yellow Vest protest movement in France, said Wednesday that he was ready to take up an invitation to meet Italian Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio for talks....

There has been tension between Paris and Rome after Di Maio said this week that his 5-Star Movement (M5S) was ready to offer support to the Yellow Vests.

Fellow Deputy Premier, Interior Minister and League leader Matteo Salvini also expressed support for the protesters."

Italian ANSA News Agency Report 1/9/2018-LINK TO STORY

That's the latest word from Italy about the overtures of support coming from Italy where the leaders of the two governing parties, one leaning to the "Right" (the League) and the other to the "Left"  (the Five Star Movement) are unified in asserting Italian sovereignty from the EU.

The response from France was one of stay out of our affairs as expressed by European and Foreign Affars Minister Nathalie Loiseau.   She urged the Italian leaders to "sweep in front of their own door".

One could argue that since France considers itself part of the EU which Italy is in as well the notion that France is some sovereign nation might just be a rhetorical one and not a literal one.

If she were a Frexit advocate like folks in the UK want Brexit, she might be standing on better ground.

But the government of Emmanuel Macron moves forward with its agenda of "law and order" combined with reductions in taxes and increases in subsidies to get more money to the average person in France and hopefully shift public opinion its way.

Only 28 approval for Emmanuel Macron in the latest polling data, a modest gain from lows around 20 percent.

Approval for the Yellow Vests has moved from 70 percent down to around 60 percent.

In court in Paris Wednesday was boxer Christophe Dettinger who punched back against the police last Saturday.

Dettinger explained his actions by noting that on December 29th, he had seen gendarmes clubbing a man and woman to the ground during a Yellow Vests protest and felt compelled to fight back on the next Saturday.

He also added:

"I reacted badly"

His lawyer said that Dettinger did not want to be symbol of the protest movement.

He remains in jail pending a trial which was postponed from yesterday until February 13th

There are currently 71 investigations underway into acts of violence against Yellow Vests protesters by police.

LATE WORD IS THAT A NATIONAL EVENT IS PLANNED FOR BOURGES, FRANCE, LOCATED ABOUT 150 MILES AWAY FROM PARIS THIS SATURDAY FOR ACT 9 OF THE YELLOW VESTS PROTESTS.

A MARCH WILL TAKE PLACE THERE AT 12 NOON SATURDAY.

(EXPANDED AND UPDATED LATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY)