Several hundred protestors gathered on the Champs Elysees in central Paris, where around 15 police wagons were also deployed, an AFP journalist said. On Friday, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux denounced those still protesting as “agitators who want insurrection and, basically, to overthrow the government”. The latest opinion poll, published on Thursday by Odoxa Dentsu, indicated 55 percent public support for the “yellow vest” protests. The “yellow vest” demonstrations — named after the high-visibility jackets worn by the protesters — began in rural France in November over increased fuel taxes. Macron initially refused to make any concessions, but in mid-December, after weeks of violence, he scrapped the planned fuel tax rises and promised extra cash for minimum wage earners and tax cuts for pensioners.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2019 12:00 UTC