Paris \u2013 The French government\u2019s decision to suspend fuel tax and utility hikes Tuesday did little to appease protesters, who called it a \u201cfirst step\u201d\u2026<\/b>
\nParis \u2013 The French government\u2019s decision to suspend fuel tax and utility hikes Tuesday did little to appease protesters, who called it a \u201cfirst step\u201d and vowed to fight on after large-scale rioting in Paris last weekend.
In a major U-turn for the government, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced in a live televised address that the planned increases, which were set to be introduced in January, were now being postponed until the summer.
The backpedaling appeared to be designed to calm the nation, coming three days after the worst unrest on the streets of Paris in decades.
\u201cNo tax is worth putting the nation\u2019s unity in danger,\u201d said Philippe, just three weeks after insisting that the government wouldn\u2019t change course and remained determined to help wean French consumers off polluting fossils fuels.
Protesters wearing their signature fluorescent yellow vests kept blocking several fuel depots Tuesday and many insisted their fight wasn\u2019t over.
\u201cIt\u2019s a first step, but we will not settle for a crumb,\u201d Benjamin Cauchy, a protest leader.
More than 100 people were injured in the French capital and 412 arrested over the weekend in Paris, with dozens of cars torched. Shops were looted and cars torched in plush neighborhoods around the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue.
The Arc de Triomphe, which is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was visited by world leaders last month to mark the centenary of the end of World War I, was sprayed with graffiti and vandalized inside.
\u201cThis violence must end,\u201d Philippe said.
Philippe also announced that electricity and natural gas prices will be frozen until May 2019 in a move aimed at improving spending power.
Philippe\u2019s announcement is unlikely to put an end to the road blockades and demonstrations, though, with more possible protests this weekend in Paris.
A soccer game between Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier which was scheduled for Saturday in Paris was postponed after police said they couldn\u2019t guarantee security amid expected protests in the capital.
\u201cIf another day of protests takes place on Saturday, it should be authorized and should take place in calm,\u201d Philippe said. \u201cThe interior minister will use all means to ensure order is respected.\u201d
Prominent Socialist figure Segolene Royal, a former candidate for president, lauded Philippe\u2019s decision but said it came too late.
\u201cThis decision should have been taken from the start, as soon as the conflict emerged,\u201d she said. \u201cWe felt it was going to be very, very hard because we saw the rage, the exasperation, especially from retirees. They should have withdrawn (the tax hikes) right away. The more you let a conflict fester, the more you eventually have to concede.\u201d
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen lashed out at the decision as too little, tweeting that it was \u201cobviously not up to the expectations of the French people struggling with precariousness.\u201d
After a third consecutive weekend of clashes in Paris led by protesters wearing distinctive yellow traffic vests, Philippe held crisis talks with representatives of major political parties on Monday. He also met with Macron and other ministers in order to find a quick solution to the crisis.
Facing the most serious street protests since his election in May 2017, Macron has canceled a two-day trip to Serbia to stay in France this week.
The protests began last month with motorists upset over the fuel tax hike but have grown to encompass a range of complaints, with protesters claiming that Macron\u2019s government doesn\u2019t care about the problems of ordinary people.
Since the movement kicked off on Nov. 17, four people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes or accidents stemming from the protests.
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Elaine Ganley and Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report.<\/p>\n