Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday, announced suspension of fuel taxes for the next six months, in order to ease the tension created by“yellow vest” protesters movement, which has radicalized Paris.

Philippe said increased planned will be suspended for six month with some of the other measures to be announced, aimed to appease the protest, three weeks after insisting the government would remained constant and determined to their courses and help French consumers wean off from polluting fossils fuels.

According to news reports, Philippe said, “No tax merits putting the unity of the nation in danger,” adding the protests “originates from a profound injustice: of not being able to live with dignity from one’s work”.

Philippe said, “We must appease the situation for the French people.” He said any further protest should be declared before in advance and “take place calmly”. Philippe told a member of parliament from the majority, “We need to calm the situation down to prevent it degenerating.”

According to Le Monde newspaper reports, Philippe was quoted as saying, “We have to give the French people a reason to come to their senses. We will have a debate tomorrow at the national assembly, which will be followed by a vote, and then we will have a big debate on how we can devise measures to accompany the ecological transition.”

Terming Philippe’s suspension of fuel tax hike a “first-step” towards a “redistribution of walth in France”, one of the leader of protest, Benjamin Cauchy said, “It’s a first step, but we will not settle for a crumb,” adding, “The French don’t want crumbs, they want the whole baguette.”

Seogolene Royal, socialist figure and a former candidate of presidency, said, “This decision should have been taken from the start, as soon as the conflict emerged,” adding, “We felt it was going to be very, very hard because we saw the rage, the exasperation, especially from pensioners. They should have withdrawn (the tax hikes) right away. The more you let a conflict fester, the more you eventually have to concede.”

The protest has begun last month with having 100 people injured during the protest. Police ensured 412 people arrested in the French capital with more than 200 cars burned-out.

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