Retail

French police brace for more violent protests over rising fuel costs


© Reuters. A protester wearing a yellow vest, the symbol of a French drivers’ protest against higher fuel prices, holds a traffic cone to block traffic at the approach to the A2 Paris-Brussels Motorway, in Fontaine-Notre-Dame

By Emmanuel Jarry and John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) – French authorities have drafted thousands of additional police officers into Paris ahead of a third demonstration on Saturday by protesters angry at high fuel prices as security officials warned of renewed violence.

For more than two weeks, the “yellow vests” have blocked roads across France in a spontaneous, popular rebellion against diesel tax hikes and the high cost of living. It has grown into one of the largest and most stubborn challenges Emmanuel Macron has faced in his 18-month-old presidency.

A week ago thousands of protesters, who have no leader and have largely organised themselves online, converged on Paris for the first time, turning the Champs Elysees into a battlezone as they clashed with police firing tear gas and water canon.

“We’re worried that small groups of rioters that aren’t yellow vests will infiltrate (the demonstration) to fight security forces and challenge the authority of the state,” said Denis Jacob, Secretary General of the Alternative Police union.

“Given the high level of security around the Champs the fear is thugs will go to other places,” he said.

Officials said they expected some 5,000 police and gendarmes in Paris, up from about 3,000 last Saturday. Another 5,000 will be deployed across the country for other yellow vests protests.

Workmen erected metal barriers and plywood boards on the glass-fronted facades of restaurants and boutiques lining Paris’ most famous avenue on Friday. The Champs Elysees will be closed to traffic and pedestrians will be funnelled through checkpoints.

“There’s a lot of incitement on social media and we are expecting excess and violence,” David Michaux of the UNSA Police union told Reuters, adding that far-right and far-left groups were expected.

Three protests are officially planned across Paris on Saturday, including the “yellow vests”, a union protest against unemployment and a separate demonstration against racism.

For now, the “yellow vests” — who take their name from the high-visibility jackets all motorists in France must carry in their vehicles — enjoy widespread public support.

When they began, the protests caught Macron off-guard just as he was trying to counter a plunge in popularity, with his approval at barely 20 percent. His unyielding response has exposed him to charges of being out of touch with ordinary people.

Disclaimer: Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. All CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are not provided by exchanges but rather by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual market price, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Therefore Fusion Media doesn`t bear any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this data.

Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.