France: Yellow Vests vow to continue protests Saturday

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS

Yellow Vest protesters on Thursday vowed to hold demonstrations in France on Saturday.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital Paris, Maxime Nicolle, one of the prominent figures of the Yellow Vest movement, said they will hold protests despite the government's calls to stop after Strasbourg shooting.

Priscilla Ludosky, a spokeswoman for the movement, said the citizens are “exhausted by a colossal tax burden.”

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

The demonstrators, who generally live in rural areas due to high rents in the cities, have called on Macron to cut fuel taxes and ease their economic difficulties.

According to a recent survey, 84 percent of the French people -- mostly from the middle-income group -- support the protests.

Fuel prices in France have risen more than 20 percent this year.

The Yellow Vest protests started in France but spilled over to other European countries including Brussels and the Netherlands.