Thousands of people yesterday blocked roads across France in a “yellow vest” movement against high fuel prices that has mushroomed into a widespread protest against stagnant spending power under French President Emmanuel Macron.
About 50,000 people were taking part in more than 1,000 protests at roundabouts and motorway exits, French Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner said.
Most protests were relatively calm despite the anger expressed by many in interviews and on social media.
Photo: AFP
However, one woman was killed when a mother trying to bring her daughter to the doctor panicked when protesters surrounded their car and began banging on the roof, Castaner said.
The mother panicked and ploughed into the crowd in Pont-de-Beauvoisin, hitting a woman in her 50s.
Castaner said a handful of other injuries had been reported in other areas, including a police officer in Grasse by drivers trying to force a way through blockades.
“We’re on maximum alert,” he said, reiterating that police would ensure that no roads were completely blocked to ensure safety.
In Paris, a group of about 50 protesters were yelling “Macron resign” on the Champs Elysee, although police were stopping them from heading toward the nearby Elysee Palace.
The “yellow vests” movement, named for the high-visibility jackets worn by supporters, erupted on social media last month with calls for mass blockades of roads and highways.
Anger over fuel costs, blamed on taxes imposed by Macron to fight pollution, has been simmering for months, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas where public transport is patchy.
Critics accuse Macron of neglecting the needs of the poor and the provinces in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy and other policies that mainly help urbanites.
A poll by the ELABE institute this week found that 73 percent of respondents backed the “yellow vests,” while 70 percent wanted the government to rescind the fuel tax hikes, which are slated to continue through 2022.
“Even 54 percent of people who voted for Macron support this movement,” ELABE senior research director Vincent Thibault said.
Motorway operators appealed for anyone not having to drive to stay at home.
Macron this week said in a TV interview that he had “not succeeded in reconciling the French with their leaders.”
Other officials have stoked ire by calling the drivers’ protest “irrational,” while government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux dismissed “people who smoke and drive diesel cars” as “not the France of the 21st century.”
The government has said it would not tolerate road shutdowns, and about 30,000 additional police officers were to be on call.
Macron does have some on his side: Several cycling groups have called for counter-protests in support of the higher fuel taxes.
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