MOSCOW (Sputnik) – About 300 people were arrested in France during the 10th consecutive weekend of yellow vest anti-government protests, Secretary of State of the French Interior Ministry Laurent Nunez said on Sunday.
“There were about 300 detentions, which is obviously a huge [number], but this is in line with violence of some persons during these demonstrations,” Nunez said, as quoted by the BFMTV broadcaster.
Some 84,000 people across France participated in the demonstrations. In Paris, 7,000 of them took part in the rally, while in Toulouse 10,000 people came out to the streets.
The wave of the so-called yellow vest protests — named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers — started in France in mid-November. The French government has scrapped its planned hike in diesel taxes that sparked the protests, but the yellow vests have since morphed into a broader movement against government policies and rising living costs.
In December, Macron introduced a number of measures aimed at resolving the nation’s economic and social crisis and declared a state of economic and social emergency. The proposed measures included annual bonuses for employees and exemptions from increased social security tax for pensioners earning less than 2,000 euros (over $2,200) per month. The measures proved insufficient in pacifying the protesters, with rallies continuing across France every weekend.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
