France: At least 8,400 arrested in Yellow Vest protests

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS

French interior minister said that some 8,400 people were arrested since the beginning of Yellow Vest protests three months ago, according to local media on Thursday.

French daily Le Figaro quoted Christophe Castaner as saying that around 1,300 police officers, firefighters and gendarmes were injured since the beginning of the protests on Nov. 17 last year.

On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that 1,796 people were remanded in custody while 1,422 others are still waiting for trial since the beginning of the protests.

Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have gathered in major French cities, including Paris, to protest President Emmanuel Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and deteriorating economic situation.

Demonstrators held protests blocking roads as well as entrances and exits to gas stations and factories across the country.

Under pressure, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hikes.

Since then, however, the protests have grown into a broader movement aimed at tackling income inequality and are calling for giving citizens a stronger voice in government decision-making.

At least 10 people died, around 6,000 others were detained and over 2,000 others were injured in the protests.

The protests started in France but spilled over to other European countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands.