French officials: Over 220 injured, 73 held following fuel protests
255 views · Published 22 November 2018 · 1:30 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(17 Nov 2018) One protester was killed and scores of others were injured at roadblocks set up around France on Saturday as citizens angry at rising fuel taxes rose up in a grassroots movement and posed a new challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. As the day of demonstrations wound down, French Interior Ministry officials estimated that over 282,000 protesters were involved in several thousand protests around the country, many of them spontaneous. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the government had " heard" the message of those who protested and would address their expectations. Ministry official Herve Tourmente told journalists that one person had died and over 220 others were injured, among them a small number of French police. "From a judicial standpoint, we have 117 arrests, among them, 73 detentions," Tourmente added. The protester who died, a 63-year-old woman, was killed when a driver caught in the blockade accelerated in a panic at Pont-de-Beauvoisin, near Chambery, according to officials in the eastern Savoie region. According to various French media reports, protesters reportedly knocked on her car as she tried to take her daughter to a hospital. An investigation was opened. The rise in fuel taxes, notably for diesel fuel, spoke to those French who feel the president has asked ordinary citizens to make the largest efforts in his bid to transform France. The taxes are part of Macron's strategy to wean France off fossil fuels. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/dcac5554a41e07e65d61dffc3d849e4e
