Protests against gasoline taxes in France continued for a third day Monday with sporadic actions around the country as the government held firm.
Ten of France’s roughly 200 fuel depots were blockaded, including those near Rennes, La Rochelle, Toulouse and Marseille, BFM television reported. A highway to Belgium was also blocked as were roads near Belfort in the east and Lyon in the south. Police removed 30 people occupying a highway near Avignon in the south, the station said.
A grassroots movement branded “Gilets Jaunes” or “Yellow Vests” organized a national “Day of Action” Saturday when about 300,000 protesters threw up about 2,000 roadblocks. One person was killed when a driver forced a barrier, and hundreds were injured or arrested. On Sunday, about 40,000 people erected about 150 barricades.
The protests were organized on social media and lack any central organization. While the ostensible purpose is to roll back the gasoline taxes, participants interviewed on French media over the weekend listed a litany of discontent ranging from a recent tightening of speed limits to lack of public services in rural areas to general unhappiness about purchasing power.
