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'Yellow vests' defy government to protest

'Yellow vests' defy government to protest

“Yellow vest” protesters have gathered in Paris and other cities for a fifth consecutive Saturday of demonstrations.

About 69,000 police have been mobilised across France to prevent a repeat of the violence of previous weeks.

The movement, initially against a rise in fuel taxes, now addresses other issues, including education reforms.

Protesters defied a government call to suspend the action following Tuesday’s attack on Strasbourg’s Christmas market where a gunman killed four people.

Seven people have died in the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) protests so far, the latest in an accident resulting from a blockade by protesters on Friday.

Fewer than 3,000 people have turned out in Paris so far this Saturday, the authorities say. Last week, there were about 8,000.

Police have stopped and questioned 95 people in the capital, a fifth of the number detained a week ago.

Overall, some 33,500 have turned out across the country, police say.

Some shops and department stores in the city have closed for the day.

Scuffles broke out in the centre of Paris on Saturday and police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd trying to make their way through police lines.

“Last time, we were here for taxes,” said 28-year-old called Jeremy told the AFP news agency.

“This is for the institutions – we want more direct democracy,” he said, adding that people needed to “shout to make themselves heard”.

Some museums are closed, but both the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower remain open.

Smaller protests have also been reported in Toulouse, Grenoble and Lyon. In Calais, a group of “yellow vests” blocked the access road to the port.

Source: BBC

Source: citifmonline.com

Original Story on: Citi Newsroom
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