Dozens of French “yellow vest” demonstrators blocked access to a major fuel depot and several highways on Monday on the third week of anti-government protests which led to major riots in Paris at the weekend.
Around 50 people blocked the fuel depot in the port of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, where police have repeatedly intervened to dislodge demonstrators since small-town and rural France erupted in protests over rising living costs on November 17.
Traffic was also backed up on highways leading to the southern cities of Aix-en-Provence, Orange, Montpellier, Nimes and Sete as the movement, which began over fuel tax increases but has morphed into a broader wave of resistance to Macron’s pro-business policies, rumbled on.
On Monday, the protests spread to around a hundred schools nationwide, which were partially or totally blocked by teenagers piggybacking on the demonstrations to air frustration over new university entrance requirements.
Around 1,000 students shouting “Macron resign!” – some clad in the high-visibility vests that have become the emblem of the movement – demonstrated in the city of Nice on Monday.
French paramedics also joined the ongoing protests as the prime minister met with political rivals on Monday in a bid to ease anger following violent riots that rocked Paris.
Dozens of ambulances blocked a bridge leading to the National Assembly and lines of riot police officers stood in the rain to prevent them from getting too close to the building.
Paramedics are complaining about changes to working conditions.
It was the latest protest action that President Emmanuel Macron’s government has faced in recent weeks.
France’s presidential Elysee palace confirmed on Monday that Emmanuel Macron’s two-day foreign trip to Serbia this week is being postponed as a result of the weekend violence in Paris.
Macron was due to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday. After a phone conversation, they agreed to reschedule the trip in the near future.
The “yellow vest” movement is bringing together people from across the political spectrum complaining about France’s economic inequalities and waning spending power.
Macron, just back from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, held an emergency meeting on Sunday on security and the government hasn’t ruled out the possibility of imposing a state of emergency.
On Saturday, more than 130 people were injured and 412 arrested Saturday in the French capital amid one of the nation’s worst unrest in recent times.
Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, closing down dozens of streets and subway stations to contain the riot.
The rioting was the third straight weekend of clashes in Paris led by protesters wearing distinctive yellow traffic vests.
The protests began last month with motorists upset over a fuel tax hike and have grown to encompass a range of complaints that Macron’s government doesn’t care about the problems of ordinary people. Other protests in France remained peaceful.
By Sunday, some of the most popular tourist streets in Paris were littered with torched cars and broken glass from looted shops and the Arc de Triomphe monument was tagged with graffiti.
