PARIS - The French government on Tuesday backed down on planned fuel tax hikes in a bid to draw the heat out of fierce protests that have escalated into the deepest crisis of Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

The concessions, coming after an earlier 500-million-euro ($570 million) relief package for poorer households, mark the first time 40-year-old Macron has given ground in the face of public opposition. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend.

"This anger, you would have to be deaf and blind not to see it, nor hear it," Philippe said after more than a fortnight of demonstrations by so-called "yellow vest" protesters. "No tax merits putting the unity of the nation in danger," he said.

Planned tax increases on petrol and diesel on January 1 will be suspended for six months, he said, while hikes in regulated electricity and gas prices will also be frozen during the winter.

Pressure has been mounting on the government after protests degenerated into the worst street clashes in central Paris in decades, leading to scores of injuries and arrests.

For weeks Macron held his ground on the fuel taxes, which finance anti-pollution policies but which critics say unfairly weigh on drivers in rural and small-town France.

Rescinding the January increase - three euro cents for unleaded and six cents for diesel - was a core demand of the demonstrators, alongside a higher minimum wage and the return of a wealth tax on high-earners which was abolished last year.

Yet many said after Philippe's speech that they had no intention of calling off their protests and it remains to be seen if the government's proposals are enough to stem the protests. "Six months is nothing: They hope we'll now go home but we're not going to move," said Lionel Rambeaux, 41, a welder at a blockade halting access to a fuel depot outside Le Mans in western France.

"We want Macron and his entire government to resign." The government is hoping to stave off another day of running riots and burning cars like on Saturday, when more than 400 people were arrested in the capital. "If there is another day of protests, it must be declared in advance and must take place calmly," Philippe said Tuesday.

Mass street protests have repeatedly forced French presidents into U-turns, something that Macron had vowed to avoid in his quest to "transform" the French economy and state.

The concessions on Tuesday could have implications for other planned reforms, including changes to the civil service and a major and highly controversial shake-up of the pensions system.

A new poll by the Ifop-Fiducial survey group on Tuesday showed the former investment banker's approval rating at a record low of 23 percent.

"Eventually he backed down, which is going to divide the (yellow vest) movement, but it also risks dividing his own political base," said Jerome Sainte-Marie of the PollingVox survey group. Macron has not spoken publicly about Saturday's destruction in Paris since his return from a G20 summit in Argentina on Sunday, and his office said Tuesday he would not comment "for the time being".

The "yellow vest" movement, named after the high-visibility jackets worn by supporters, emerged on social media in October after months of swelling anger over rising fuel prices.

It quickly grew into wider protests against Macron, whom many accuse of representing a Parisian elite with little understanding of their monthly struggle to make ends meet.

A centrist, Macron was elected in May 2017 on a pro-business platform that included measures inciting companies to invest to create jobs.

Immediately after coming to power, he pushed through tax cuts for entrepreneurs and high-earners - an "original sin" for his critics.

The "yellow vest" protests have blocked highways and fuel depots around the country, causing headaches for businesses and fuel shortages in some regions. The protests have spread to around a hundred schools nationwide, which were still partially or totally blocked Tuesday by teenagers voicing frustration over university entrance reforms.

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

The so-called 'yellow vests' protests first erupted over fuel tax hikes

President Emmanuel Macron has faced growing pressure after the protests degenerated into street clashes and looting in Paris

Running riots with police in Paris over the weekend left cars burned out and shops vandalised

"Out of service" signs at a service station in Montpellier, southern France. Fuel depot blockades by "yellow vest" protesters have led to shortages in several regions. </s> Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend.

PARIS: The French government on Tuesday (Dec 4) backed down on planned fuel tax hikes in a bid to draw the heat out of fierce protests that have escalated into the deepest crisis of Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

The concessions, coming after an earlier €500-million (US$570 million) relief package for poorer households, mark the first time 40-year-old Macron has given ground in the face of public opposition.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced rollbacks on fuel taxes and electricity price increases in a rare televised address after France was rocked by intense street clashes and vandalism in Paris over the weekend.

"This anger, you would have to be deaf and blind not to see it, nor hear it," Philippe said after more than a fortnight of demonstrations by so-called "yellow vest" protesters.

"No tax merits putting the unity of the nation in danger," he said.

Planned tax increases on petrol and diesel on Jan 1 will be suspended for six months, while hikes in regulated electricity and gas prices will be frozen during the winter.

Pressure has been mounting on the government after protests degenerated into the worst street clashes in central Paris in decades.

Across France, four people have been killed in accidents linked to the demonstrations and road blockades, and hundreds injured.

For weeks Macron held his ground on the fuel taxes, which are meant to finance anti-pollution policies but which critics say unfairly weigh on drivers in rural and small-town France.

Rescinding the January increase - three euro cents for unleaded and six cents for diesel - was a core demand of the demonstrators, alongside a higher minimum wage and the return of a wealth tax on high-earners which Macron abolished.

Two groups blockading petrol depots in Brittany said they would stand down following the announcement of the measures, which will cost public coffers some €2 billion (US$2.3 billion).

Yet many others said they had no intention of stopping the demonstrations.

"They hope we'll now go home but we're not going to move," said Lionel Rambeaux, a 41-year-old welder manning a fuel depot blockade outside Le Mans in western France.

"We want Macron and his entire government to resign."

The government is hoping to stave off another day of running riots and burning cars like on Saturday, when more than 400 people were arrested in the capital.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said extra police would be deployed next Saturday on top of the 65,000 out in force last weekend, urging "reasonable" members of the movement to stay at home.

Paris Saint-Germain's home Ligue 1 football game against Montpellier has already been called off next Saturday, as has an electro music festival in the city centre.

Mass protests have repeatedly forced French presidents into U-turns, something Macron had vowed to avoid in his quest to "transform" the French economy and state.

A new poll by the Ifop-Fiducial survey group on Tuesday showed the former investment banker's approval rating at a record low of 23 per cent.

"Eventually he backed down, which is going to divide the (yellow vest) movement, but it also risks dividing his own political base," said Jerome Sainte-Marie of the PollingVox survey group.

Macron's office said he would not speak publicly about the violence "for the time being", though he met briefly with a protester at his office Tuesday.

He also visited local government offices in the central town of Puy-en-Velay which were torched during a protest last weekend - and was booed upon leaving.

The "yellow vest" movement, named after the high-visibility jackets worn by supporters, emerged on social media in October after months of swelling anger over rising fuel prices.

It quickly grew into wider protests against Macron, whom many accuse of representing a Parisian elite with little understanding of their monthly struggle to make ends meet.

Macron was elected in May 2017 on a pro-business platform that included measures inciting companies to invest to create jobs.

Immediately after coming to power, he pushed through tax cuts for entrepreneurs and high-earners - an "original sin" for his critics.

The "yellow vest" protests have blocked highways and fuel depots around the country, causing headaches for businesses and fuel shortages in some regions.

The protests have spread to dozens of schools nationwide, which were still partially or totally blocked on Tuesday by teenagers voicing frustration over university entrance reforms. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump has taken another swipe on Twitter at his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron prompted by Macron’s woes over violent protests against fuel taxes.

“I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago,” Trump tweeted late on Tuesday.

“The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters,’’ said Trump, referring to a global deal on the environment drafted in Paris in late 2015.

Earlier this week, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe decided to suspend planned increases to fuel taxes for at least six months.

The suspension was in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, marking the first major U-turn by Macron’s administration in 18 months in office. </s> French President Emmanuel Macron scrapped a fuel tax rise Wednesday amid fears of new violence, after weeks of nationwide protests and the worst rioting in Paris in decades.

Protesters celebrated the victory, but some said Macron's surrender came too late and is no longer enough to quell the mounting anger at the president, whom they consider out of touch with the problems of ordinary people.

Macron decided Wednesday to "get rid" of the tax planned for next year, an official in the president's office told The Associated Press. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told lawmakers the tax is no longer included in the 2019 budget.

The decision has ramifications beyond France, since the fuel tax rise was part of Macron's efforts to wean France off fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gases and help slow climate change. Its withdrawal is both a blow to broader efforts to fight climate change and a warning to other world leaders trying to do the same thing.

The "yellow vest" protests began Nov. 17 over the government plan to raise taxes on diesel and gasoline, but by the time Macron bowed to three weeks of violence and abandoned the new fuel tax, protesters were demanding much more. Many workers in France are angry over the combination of low wages, high taxes and high unemployment that have left many people struggling financially.

On Tuesday, the government agreed to suspend the fuel tax rise for six months. But instead of appeasing the protesters, it spurred other groups to join in, hoping for concessions of their own. The protests took on an even bigger dimension Wednesday with trade unions and farmers vowing to join the fray.

Police warned of potential violence during demonstrations in Paris on Saturday, with one small security forces union threatening a strike.

So after nightfall Wednesday, as parliament debated the 2019 budget, Macron's government suddenly gave in.

"I have no problem with admitting that on such or such question we could have done differently, that if there is such a level of anger ... it's because we still have a lot of things to improve," the prime minister told legislators.

Philippe said "the tax is now abandoned" in the 2019 budget, and the government is "ready for dialogue." The budget can be renegotiated through the year, but given the scale of the recent protests, Macron is unlikely to revive the added fuel tax idea anytime soon.

Jacline Mouraud, one of the self-proclaimed spokespeople for the disparate yellow vest movement, told the AP that Macron's concession "comes much too late, unfortunately."

"It's on the right path, but in my opinion it will not fundamentally change the movement," she said.

Three weeks of protests have caused four deaths, injured hundreds and littered central Paris with burned cars and shattered windows.

The sweep of the protests and their wide support by citizens of all political stripes has shocked Macron's government. In the last few days, Paris saw the worst anti-government riot since 1968, French students set fires outside high schools to protest a new university application system, small business owners blocked roads to protest high taxes, and retirees marched to protest the president's perceived elitism.

Macron's popularity has slumped to a new low since the demonstrations began. The former investment banker, who has pushed pro-business economic reforms to make France more competitive globally, is accused of being the "president of the rich" and of being estranged from the working classes.

On Wednesday, France's largest farmers union said it will launch anti-government protests next week, after trucking unions called for a rolling strike.

Trade unions so far have not played a role in the yellow vest protest movement but are now trying to capitalize on growing public anger. A joint statement from the CGT and the FO trucking unions called for action Sunday night to protest a cut in overtime rates.

The FNSEA farmers union said it would fight to help French farmers earn a better income but would not officially be joining forces with the "yellow vests" — protesters wearing the high-visibility vests that motorists are required to keep in their cars.

French police have cleared most of the fuel depots that protesters blocked earlier in the week, but fuel shortages still hit parts of France on Wednesday, affecting hundreds of gas stations.

Demonstrators also blocked toll booths, letting drivers pass without paying, to press demands that ranged from higher incomes and pensions to the dissolution of the National Assembly, France's parliament.

At Tolbiac University in downtown Paris, students took over a school building and classes were canceled.

"We need taxes, but they are not properly redistributed," protester Thomas Tricottet told BFM television.

The high school students' FIDL union called for "massive" protests Thursday and urged France's education minister to step down.

One student was injured during protests at a high school in Saint-Jean-de-Braye in north-central France. BFM said he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. Julien Guiller, a spokesman for the regional school administration, told the AP that the student was expected to survive.

Until he scrapped the fuel tax rise, Macron's actions after returning from the G-20 summit in Argentina had done little to persuade protesters that he was listening to their concerns.

He has refrained from speaking publicly about the protests and has largely remained in his palace. On Tuesday night, he was jeered as he traveled to a regional government headquarters that was torched by protesters over the weekend.

One activist said Wednesday that he fears more deaths if Saturday's yellow vest demonstration in Paris goes ahead and urged Macron to speak out and calm the nation.

"If not there will be chaos," said Christophe Chalencon.

Chalencon, a 52-year-old blacksmith from southern France, told the AP the French public needs Macron to "admit he made a mistake, with simple words ... that touch the guts and heart of the French."

In a disparaging tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Macron's decision Tuesday to delay the gas tax hike showed that the French leader doesn't believe in the 2015 Paris global climate accord. </s> The French government caved in after the worst riots in decades and delayed an increase in energy taxes Tuesday — but it was seen as "too little, too late" by many protesters whose anger seems increasingly focused on embattled President Emmanuel Macron.

Demonstrators were back in the streets wearing their signature yellow vests. They blocked several fuel depots and, on a highway near the southern city of Aubagne, commandeered a toll booth to let motorists pass for free near a sign reading "Macron dictator."

The protests began Nov. 17 with motorists upset over the fuel tax increase, but have grown to encompass a range of complaints — the stagnant economy, social injustice and France' tax system, one of the highest in Europe — and some now call for the government to resign.

Last weekend, more than 130 people were injured and 412 arrested in rioting in the French capital. Shops were looted and cars torched in plush neighborhoods around the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue. The Arc de Triomphe was sprayed with graffiti and vandalized.

Four people have been killed, officials said, and more protests are planned for this weekend.

One unifying complaint among the leaderless protesters, who come from across the political and social spectrum, has been the anger at Macron and the perceived elitism of France's aloof ruling class.

Since returning from the G20 summit in Argentina, Macron has either remained in his palace residence or else shied away from speaking publicly about the protests that have created his biggest political crisis since taking office last May.

It was Prime Minister Edouard Philippe who announced a six-month delay in the fuel tax increase that was to have begun in January. Just three weeks ago, Philippe had insisted the government would be steadfast in the tax plans aimed at weaning French consumers off fossil fuels. He also announced a freeze in electricity and natural gas prices until May.

"No tax is worth putting the nation's unity in danger," Philippe said in a live televised address.

Macron, for his part, visited a regional government headquarters that was torched by protesters, but he did not speak to reporters.

The government U-turn appeared to appease few of the protesters, who wear the yellow vests that France requires motorists to have in their vehicles in case of roadside emergencies.

"It's a first step, but we will not settle for crumbs," said Benjamin Cauchy, a self-proclaimed protest leader.

Another self-proclaimed leader Thierry Paul Valette told The Associated Press that protesters now are unhappy not just about the price of fuel but general discontent with economic inequality.

"It's coming too late. ... I'm calling this government to resign," Valette said.

Damien Abad, a lawmaker from the center-right Les Republicains party, also called it "too little, too late."

"If your only response, Mr. Prime Minister, is the suspension of Macron's fuel taxes, then you still haven't realized the gravity of the situation," Abad said. "What we are asking of you Mr. Prime Minister, is not a postponement. It's a change of course."

Protest and street violence has been a central part of France's political culture — from the Revolution in the late 1700s to the student riots in 1968 — and the yellow vest movement reflects this tradition.

In the port city of Marseille, students clashed with police outside a high school — one of about 100 high schools around France that were blocked or otherwise disrupted by student protests, according to the Education Ministry. Many are protesting a new university application system.

Philippe held crisis talks with representatives of major political parties on Monday, and met with Macron, who canceled a two-day trip to Serbia.

"This violence must end," Philippe said.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted that the delay in price increases was "obviously not up to the expectations of the French people struggling with precariousness," and noted sarcastically that it is "surely a coincidence" that the rise in prices will take effect a few days after European Union elections. </s> The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

This content was published on December 5, 2018 8:13 AM

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has taken another swipe on Twitter at his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron prompted by Macron's woes over violent protests against fuel taxes. "I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago," Trump tweeted late on Tuesday. "The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters," said Trump, referring to a global deal on the environment drafted in Paris in late 2015. Earlier this week, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe decided to suspend planned increases to fuel taxes for at least six months in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, marking the first major U-turn by Macron's administration in 18 months in office. Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox. </s> A woman has died during protests against rising petrol and diesel prices and government plans to further hike the tax on vehicle fuel in France.

Another woman driving a car panicked when she encountered a roadblock and ran over a protester, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Saturday on live television.

The accident took place in the town of Pont-de-Beauvoisin, to the north of the city of Grenoble in south-eastern France, according to the minister.

Drivers started blocking roads across the country to protest rising fuel taxes, in a new challenge to embattled President Emmanuel Macron.

Protesters pledged to target tollbooths, roundabouts and the bypass that rings Paris on Saturday. The government is preparing to send police to remove protesters and threatening fines.

The taxes are part of Macron's strategy of weaning France off fossil fuels. Many drivers see them as emblematic of a presidency seen as disconnected from day-to-day economic difficulties.

The protesters have dubbed themselves the "yellow jackets" because they wear fluorescent vests that all French drivers must keep in their vehicles in case of car troubles.

Separately, ambulances briefly blocked Paris' Champs-Elysees on Friday to protest new rules on ambulance financing and put pressure on Macron's government. </s> This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

Tourist attractions and museums in central Paris have said they will not open on Saturday, when fresh gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests are planned, as French authorities prepared to deploy 89,000 security personnel across the country.

“The demonstrations announced on Saturday 8 December in Paris do not allow us to welcome visitors in safe conditions,” said the operator of the Eiffel Tower in a statement on Thursday. Police have also ordered about a dozen museums, including the Louvre and the Grand Palais, cultural sites such as the Opera and shops along the Champs-Élysées to close over fears of violence. “We cannot take the risk when we know the threat,” Franck Riester, the culture minister, told RTL radio. Several top-league football matches have also been cancelled.

As senior ministers sought to defuse public fury with conciliatory language on taxes, an official in Emmanuel Macron’s office risked provoking more anger by saying that intelligence suggested that some protesters would come to the capital “to vandalise and to kill”.

Play Video 0:18 French high school students made to kneel with hands on heads by police – video

Despite capitulating this week over the plans for higher fuel taxes that inspired the nationwide revolt, the president has struggled to quell the anger that last weekend led to the worst street unrest in central Paris since 1968.

Rioters torched cars, vandalised cafes, looted shops and sprayed anti-Macron graffiti across some of Paris’s most affluent districts, even defacing the Arc de Triomphe. Scores of people were hurt and hundreds arrested in battles with police.

Macron’s politics look to Blair and Clinton. The backlash was inevitable | Larry Elliott Read more

In a bid to end the three-week crisis, the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, told parliament late on Wednesday that he was scrapping the fuel-tax increases planned for 2019, having announced a six-month suspension the day before.

The finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, told a conference he was prepared to bring forward tax-cutting plans and that he wanted workers’ bonuses to be tax free.

But he added: “In this case, it must go hand-in-hand with a decrease in spending.”

He also said France would impose a tax on big internet firms in 2019 if there was no consensus on an EU-wide levy, seeking to appeal to anti-business sentiment among the protesters.

The threat of more violence poses a security nightmare for the authorities, who make a distinction between the peaceful gilets jaunes protesters and violent groups, anarchists and looters from the deprived suburbs who they say have infiltrated the movement.

On Facebook groups and across social media, the gilets jaunes are calling for an “act 4”, a reference to what would be a fourth weekend of disorder.

“France is fed up!! We will be there in bigger numbers, stronger, standing up for French people. Meet in Paris on Dec 8,” said one group’s banner.

The education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, urged people to stay at home this weekend. Security sources said the government was considering using troops currently deployed on anti-terrorism patrols to protect public buildings.

The protests, named after the fluorescent jackets French motorists are required to keep in their cars, erupted in November over the squeeze on household budgets caused by fuel taxes. Demonstrations swiftly grew into a broad, sometimes violent, rebellion against Macron.

Who are the gilets jaunes and what do they want? Read more

The protesters have no formal leader and their demands are diverse. They include changes to a tax system perceived as unfair and unjust, higher salaries and Macron’s resignation.

France’s hard-left CGT trade union on Thursday called on its energy industry workers to walk out for 48 hours from 13 December, saying it wanted to join forces with the gilets jaunes.

The fuel tax volte-face was the first major U-turn of Macron’s 18-month presidency.

The unrest has exposed deep-seated resentment among non-city dwellers with a perception that Macron is out of touch with the middle and working classes. They see the 40-year-old former investment banker as closer to big business and the rich.

Trouble is also brewing elsewhere for Macron. Teenage students blocked access to more than 200 high schools across the country on Thursday, burning garbage bins and setting a car alight in the western city of Nantes.

Farmers, who have long complained that retailers are squeezing their margins and are furious over a delay to the planned rise in minimum food prices, and truckers are threatening to strike from Sunday.

Le Maire said France was no longer spared from the wave of populism that had swept across Europe. “It’s only that in France, it’s not manifesting itself at the ballot box, but in the streets.” </s> Drivers in France are blocking roads across the country to protest rising fuel taxes, in a new challenge to embattled President Emmanuel Macron.

Protesters pledge to target tollbooths, roundabouts and the bypass that rings Paris on Saturday. The government is preparing to send police to remove protesters and threatening fines.

The taxes are part of Macron's strategy of weaning France off fossil fuels. Many drivers see them as emblematic of a presidency seen as disconnected from day-to-day economic difficulties.

The protesters have dubbed themselves the "yellow jackets" because they wear fluorescent vests that all French drivers must keep in their vehicles in case of car troubles.

Separately, ambulances briefly blocked Paris' Champs-Elysees on Friday to protest new rules on ambulance financing and put pressure on Macron's government. </s> Protesters angry over high fuel prices were expected to block access to French fuel depots and stop traffic on major roads for a fourth day Tuesday, incensed by the government's refusal to scrap anti-pollution taxes.

One person was accidentally killed and 528 people have been injured, 17 seriously, during the "Yellow Vest" protests that have galvanised resistance to President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies.

As the protests rumbled on, it emerged four men were taken into custody and charged as part of an anti-terrorist investigation in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne on Saturday - the first day of the blockades - accused of planning to take advantage of the police mobilisation for the demonstrations to mount a terror attack, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

One of the suspects texted his fiancee saying, "It's going to bleed on November 17", the newspaper said.

Officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.

On Monday, tens of thousands of demonstrators were still manning hundreds of barricades on motorways and petrol stations, down from nearly 300,000 protesters at over 2,000 sites on Saturday.

Oil giant Total confirmed that some of its trucks had been prevented from reaching depots in the south and east of the country, causing alarm among small business owners.

"The worst thing would be to block the economy and make the whole situation worse," Alain Griset, head of the U2P federation of small and medium-sized businesses said in a statement.

On Monday, security forces cleared protesters from several sites, including a suspension bridge leading to the southwestern city of Bordeaux that had been blocked for three days.

'Much more than fuel'

The "Yellow Vest" movement - named after the high-visibility vests motorists are required to carry in their cars - was sparked by rising diesel prices, which many blame on taxes implemented in recent years as part of France's anti-pollution fight.

It quickly snowballed into a protest by rural and small-town France over falling spending power of the less well-off under Macron, assailed as a "president of the rich".

"It's about much more than fuel. They (the government) have left us with nothing," Dominique, a 50-year-old unemployed technician told AFP at a roadblock in the town of Martigues, near the southern city of Marseille.

Macron's government, which is trying to buff its environmental credentials, has vowed not to back down on trying to wean people off their cars through fuel taxes.

While the number of protesters has fallen since the weekend, in tandem with plummeting temperatures, further large-scale demonstrations are planned.

Two separate calls for mass protests in Paris on November 24 were widely circulated on social media.

The start of the protests was marred by the death of a 63-year-old demonstrator, who was run down by a panicked motorist at a roadblock in the eastern Savoie region.

Several other people were injured in attempts by truck drivers and motorists to force their way through barricades.

A 32-year-old man was sentenced to four months in prison Monday for endangering life by taking part in a human chain on a highway in the northeast of France.

Fresh clashes Sunday in the "yellow vest" fuel price protests across France led to more injuries to add to the more than 400 already reported by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

Although the protests appeared to be less widespread than those seen at the 87 locations tallied by the interior ministry overnight, protestors again clashed with police - and sometimes motorists.

Sunday's protests touched several regions across France, but their intensity appeared to be diminishing, according to AFP journalists.

Police were searching for a motorist who forced a road block at Saint-Quentin, northeast France, leaving one protestor seriously injured.

And police used tear gas to break up a gathering of about a thousand protestors near the northern city of Caen, after vandalism of traffic radar and the burning of wooden pallets.

Earlier Sunday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner reported that the first day and night of protests had left one person dead and more than 400 people hurt, 14 seriously.

The injury toll followed what Castaner described as a "restive" night in 87 locations around the country, where protesters had blocked roads to express their anger at a series of hikes in petrol tax.

The injured, 409 in total, included 28 police, paramilitary police or firefighters.

French retail group Auchan reported violent incidents at around 20 shopping centres where it operates hypermarkets.

Castaner told RTL radio that 288,000 people had taken part in Saturday's protests at 2,034 locations countrywide.

About 3,500 stayed out overnight, he added.

Police questioned 282 protesters in total, 73 during the night, of whom 157 were taken into custody.

"Last night was restive... There were assaults, fights, stabbings," Castaner said.

"There were fights among 'yellow vest' protesters."

Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday the government was aware of unhappiness over high fuel taxes, but said it had "a duty" to transform the French economy with the aim of making it less oil-dependent.

A poll published Sunday in the Journal de Dimanche weekly said that 62 percent of those questioned believed their purchasing power was more important than a fast transition towards renewable energy.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was to appear on national TV Sunday evening to discuss the protests.
Following large protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's planned increases on fuel taxes, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces that these plans will be suspended for at least six months.