France suspends fuel tax hikes in bid to calm fiery protests

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced a six-month moratorium on planned tax hikes on fuel in response to weeks of nationwide protests against high pump prices and living costs.

Philippe said on Tuesday that he hoped the measure would “bring calm and serenity back to” France and “enable real dialogue” on the concerns of the so-called “yellow-vest” protesters.

The demonstrations, which began on November 17, sparked on Saturday Paris’ worst rioting in decades, with protesters clashing with police, setting fire to vehicles and looting shops around the capital’s famed Champs Elysees avenue.

In his address, Philippe said the anger on the streets “originates from a profound injustice: of not being able to live with dignity from one’s work”.

“The French who have donned yellow vests want taxes to drop, and work to pay. That’s also what we want,” he said, adding: “No tax merits putting the nation’s unity in danger.”

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He also announced that increases in the cost of gas and electricity, which were also set to take effect from January 1, would be suspended for three months during the winter months.

Philippe added that a tightening of the technical assessment for cars, which was set to penalise heavily polluting older vehicles, would also be halted for six months.

The yellow vest protests were originally spurred by a squeeze on household spending brought about by President Emmanuel Macron’s taxes on diesel, which he says are necessary to combat climate change and protect the environment.

However, they have since evolved into a bigger, general anti-Macron uprising, with many criticising the president for pursuing policies they claim favour the richest members of French society.

The concessions on Tuesday marked Macron’s first significant U-turn on a major policy since he assumed office in 2017.

The demonstrations have been given the “yellow vest” tag due to the fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France, and are estimated to have cost millions to the economy.

Four people have been killed in the three-week-long protests, including an 80-year-old woman who died in hospital on Sunday after being hit by a tear gas canister in Marseille.

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Protests in Paris on Saturday turned particularly violent, with the Arc de Triomphe defaced and avenues off the capital’s Champs Elysees suffering damage.

Paris police said 412 people were arrested during the clashes in Paris on Saturday and 363 remained in custody, according to the latest figures.

Philippe, the prime minister, was scheduled to meet moderate members of the movement on Tuesday, but the “yellow vests” representatives cancelled the talks citing “security reasons”.

Benjamin Cauchy and Jacline Mouraud, two of the leaders of the protests, told AFP they had received threats from hardline protesters who warned them against entering into negotiations with the government.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chaucy, responding to news of the suspension of fuel tax hikes, said: “It’s the first step, but we will not settle for a crumb.”

Macron and Philippe’s approval ratings hit new lows in the wake of the crisis, according to an Ifop-Fiducial poll for Paris Match and Sud Radio that was published on Tuesday.

The president’s approval rating fell to 23 percent in the poll conducted late last week, down six points from the previous month, while the prime minister’s rating fell 10 points to 26 percent.