France: ‘Yellow Vest’ Protester Killed After Being Hit by Truck

Local Editor

A protester from the “yellow vest” movement reportedly lost his life after being hit by a truck in southern France.

The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday at a roundabout near a motorway exit in the city of Avignon.

“The driver of the truck has been taken into custody. The victim was 23 years old,” said the deputy prosecutor for Avignon, Caroline Armand. “It appears the driver is a Polish national.”

The latest death was the sixth during the nationwide road blockades and protests.

Thousands of demonstrators wearing yellow vests have been gathering in major French cities since November 17 to initially protest President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial fuel tax hike — which he later dropped — and the high costs of living in France.

According to a recent survey conducted by the European and English-language digital news publisher The Local, 84 percent of the French people, mostly from the middle-income group, supported the protests. Fuel prices in France have risen more than 20 percent this year.

French authorities earlier said more than 1700 protesters had been arrested and that 200 people, including 17 police forces, had been injured in confrontations during the protests.

In a televised speech on Monday, Macron promised a minimum wage rise and tax concessions in response to the public outcry over rising fuel tax and cost of living.  The embattled president also said that the anger was not just directed at him but had been building up for 40 years.

Macron’s remarks drew mixed reactions from French protesters and opposition groups.

Meanwhile, the unrest in France inspired similar protests in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team