France: a demonstration against the "yellow vest" begins

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Reuters

A protester has died and injuries have been reported elsewhere, while protesters angry at rising fuel prices are disrupting traffic in France.

The protester was struck by a panicked driver who went to the protesters, according to reports.

Some 50,000 protesters, dubbed "yellow vests" after their high-visibility jackets, gathered in 1,000 locations, officials said.

They accuse President Emmanuel Macron of having abandoned the "little people".

Mr Macron admitted this week that he "had not really managed to reconcile the French with their leaders".

Nevertheless, he accused his political opponents of having diverted the movement in order to block his program of reforms.

The authorities warned that even if they did not stop the demonstrations, they would not allow them to immobilize the French road network.

What has happened so far?

The protester was killed in the southeastern region of Savoy when a driver who took his daughter to the hospital panicked after being blocked by about 50 protesters who were hitting the roof of his vehicle and driving them inside, according to the newspaper Le Parisien.

The driver was taken into custody by the police. Protesters in Brittany, northwestern France, observed a minute of silence for the victim.

The demonstration "would be a failure" if it cost the life, said the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, quoted by Le Parisien.

"We are very worried, it is important to avoid risks," he said.

Elsewhere in France, there is an increasing number of injuries.

In Arras, in the north of France, a 71-year-old protester was seriously injured by a car, which then dispersed new protesters as the driver speeded up, announced the newspaper La Voix du Nord. The driver was later arrested.

In Hazebrouck city, in the north of the country, two people were injured when a truck driver mounted a road and forced the vehicle to cross protesters, Northern Voice said.

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Two other people were injured when a stranded driver returned and collided with two oncoming vehicles near Besancon, in the east of the country, the East Republican reported. .

In Sélestat near Strasbourg, a driver crashed the foot of a protester, reported the website of the regional DNA press.

In the town of Grasse, in the south of the country, a police officer beat a police officer who was trying to force his vehicle to hold a demonstration. The driver was arrested, reported Nice-Matin.

Why drivers on the warpath?

The price of diesel, the most used fuel in French cars, has risen by about 23% in the last 12 months to reach an average of € 1.51 (£ 1.32) per liter, its most high level since the early 2000s, reported AFP. agency reports.

World oil prices rose before falling back, but the Macron government increased its hydrocarbon tax this year by 7.6 cents per liter on diesel and 3.9 cents on gasoline, under the A campaign for cleaner cars and fuels.

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The decision to impose a further increase of 6.5 cents on diesel and 2.9 cents on gasoline on January 1, 2019 was considered the drop of water.

On Wednesday, the president accused world oil prices of accounting for three-quarters of the price increase. Mr Castaner said the drop in world oil prices would offset the tax hike.

What is the size of the movement?

He has broad support. Nearly three-quarters of those polled in a survey conducted by the Elabe Institute have supported yellow vests and 70% have asked the government to reverse the gas tax hikes.

More than half of the French who voted for Macron support the protests, said Vincent Thibault of Elabe, Elabe told AFP.

"Expectations and discontent about the spending power are quite wide, it's not just about rural France or the lower classes," he said.

Protesters have threatened to block highways and access roads to some oil depots, particularly in Calais near the Channel Tunnel, the Reuters news agency reported.

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AFP

Some also attend demonstrations in jackets, far from the roads.

Are opposition politicians involved?

They have certainly tried to exploit it. Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, who was beaten by Mr. Macron in the second round of the presidential election, is encouraging the move on Twitter.

She said: "The government should not be afraid of the French who come to express their revolt and do it in a peaceful way".

Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the center-right Republicans, called on the Macron government to abolish the next scheduled increase in the carbon tax on fossil fuels in January, to offset rising fuel prices for vehicles.

Mr Castaner described Saturday's action as a "political protest with the Republicans behind it".

Jean-Luc Mélenchon predicted that Saturday would be "the day of divorce for the French" and the Macron project.

However, the movement does not have a single leader and is not organized by any union.

Olivier Faure, leader of the leftist socialist party, said the movement was "born outside the political parties".

"People want politicians to listen to them and respond, their claim is to have the power to buy and financial justice," he said.

Is there room for a compromise?

On Wednesday, the government announced an action to help poor families pay for their energy and transportation bills.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that 5.6 million households would receive energy subsidies. Currently, 3.6 million receive them.

The scrapping premiums on polluting vehicles would also be doubled for the poorest families in France, he said, and gas tax credits would be put in place for those who depend on them. of their car for their work.

However, President Macron defended the diesel tax by saying, "We need to tax fossil fuels more to finance our investments in renewable energy."

Meanwhile, as the biggest demonstration of his presidency grows, the protesters make fun of him under the name of "Micron" or "Macaroon" (Macaroon) or simply Manu, the abbreviated form of Emmanuel, for whom he reprimanded a student.