French demonstrators angry over taxes on gasoline strike police | News from the world

By THOMAS ADAMSON, Associated press

PARIS (AP) – French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in Paris on Saturday as thousands of people gathered in the capital and beyond and organized roadblocks to dispel protesters. the anger weighing on fuel taxes.

Thousands of police have been deployed throughout the country to hold the eighth day of protests in which two people have been killed since the beginning of their demonstrations on November 17 to protest against the tax. But the demonstrations quickly turned into a reprimand of the mandate of President Emmanuel Macron and the perceived elitism of the French ruling class.

Violent clashes on the Champs-Elysees saw police confront demonstrators who burned plywood, brandished placards stating "Death to Taxes" and toppled a large vehicle.

No casualties have been reported in the immediate aftermath, but 18 people have been arrested for various acts, including for "throwing projectiles," the Paris police told The Associated Press.

"This will trigger a civil war and I, like most citizens, are all ready," said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres.

"They take everything from us, they rob us all," said Laura Cordonnier, 21.

The famous avenue was dotted with feathers of smoke and neon lights – because of the color of the vests worn by the myriad of self-proclaimed "yellow jacket" protesters. French drivers are required to keep neon safety vests in their vehicles.

The authorities said 5,000 protesters had invaded the Champs-Élysées alone, with a total of 23,000 protesters across the country.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner denounced the right-wing protesters whom he described as "rebels", accusing the President of the National Assembly, Marine Le Pen, of to have encouraged them.

But the Interior Ministry downplayed the magnitude of Saturday's protests by pointing out that last week's protest had gathered more than 120,000 protesters across the country.

The troubles are a major challenge for Macron, struggling in polls.

He is at the center of the anger of the protesters who accuse the pro-business centrist of indifference to the struggles of the ordinary French.

Until now, Macron has stood firm and insisted that fuel tax increases are a necessary pain to reduce France's reliance on fossil fuels and to finance investments in renewable energies – a cornerstone of his country's reforms. He will defend new projects to facilitate the "energy transition" on Tuesday.

Paris has deployed nearly 3,000 security forces on Saturday, including in areas frequented by tourists, after an unauthorized attempt to parade last week on the presidential palace of the Elysee.

Authorities said the protesters had so far not crossed an exclusion zone created by authorities around key areas, including the Presidential Palace and the National Assembly, on the left bank of the Seine.

But the authorities are struggling because the movement does not have a clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with very different demands.

A man provoked a dramatic confrontation with police on Friday when he donned a neon jacket and brandished an apparent grenade in a supermarket in Angers (west). He was later arrested.

Taxes on diesel fuel have increased seven cents (nearly eight cents US) and are expected to continue to increase over the next few years, said Minister of Transport Elisabeth Borne. The tax on gasoline must increase by 4 cents. Currently, gasoline costs about 1.64 euro per liter in Paris (7.06 dollars per gallon), a little more than diesel.

"When the tax is no longer accepted, it's the beginning of the revolutions in France," BFMTV told far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Chris Den Hond and Patrick Hermensen contributed to this report.

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