Woman dies in French fuel protests
By An 80-year-old woman has died after being hit by a tear gas canister at her window during Saturday’s fuel protests in the French city of Marseille.
The woman, who lived in an apartment near to where the protests were taking place, was hit in the face while closing the shutters.
Protests over fuel tax have grown into general anger at higher living costs.
The woman was taken to the hospital but died during an operation after suffering shock, local media report.
Three other people have been killed in the protests since demonstrations started more than two weeks ago, police said on Sunday.
France’s interior ministry says about 136,000 people took part in the protests nationwide on Sunday, showing widespread support for the movement known as the “gilets Jaunes” (yellow vests), who complain about a sharp increase in fuel taxes.
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They are so called because they have taken to the streets wearing the high-visibility yellow clothing that is required to be carried in every vehicle by French law.
A spokesperson for the “yellow vest” movement, Christophe Chalençon, called for the government to resign on Monday, to be replaced by what he termed “a true commander, like Gen de Villiers”.
Gen Pierre de Villiers is a former head of the French armed forces who quit after a clash with President Emmanuel Macron over budget cuts.
The French president held an urgent security meeting earlier on Monday. Ministers said that while no options had been ruled out, imposing a state of emergency had not been discussed during the talks.
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Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also spoke with political leaders on Monday ahead of his meeting with the “yellow vests” on Tuesday.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who was at the meeting, warned that Mr Macron could become the first president to give the order to open fire on his own people in 50 years. She said he should scrap increases in fuel duty, lower gas and electricity prices and end a freeze on the minimum wage and minimum pension.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met with business representatives to assess the damage caused to businesses over the weekend.
“The impact is severe and ongoing,” Mr Le Maire told the AFP news agency.
Some retailers had seen sales drop by around 20-40 per cent during the demonstrations, while some restaurants had lost 20-50 per cent of their takings, he added.
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