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A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 7 december 2018
France fears more riots; Museums, Eiffel Tower to close

By ANGELA CHARLTON performances Saturday on
ALEX TURNBULL its two Parisian sites.
Associated Press Two music festivals in Paris
PARIS (AP) — Authorities have been postponed and
across France braced the Arc de Triomphe re-
Thursday for the possibility mains closed since it was
of more riots and violence damaged in last weekend's
at anti-government pro- protest, which left over 130
tests this weekend, hold- people injured.
ing emergency meetings Paris police have also
and deploying tens of urged shops in the city's
thousands of police and high-end Champs-Elysees
security forces. Museums, area to close Saturday as a
theaters and shops in Paris precaution.
announced they would Protests simmered Thursday
close Saturday as a pre- in several French regions.
caution — including the Scores of protesting teens
city's famed Eiffel Tower. clashed with police at a
Police unions and city high school west of Paris, as
authorities met to strat- part of nationwide student
egize on how to handle protests over new university
the protests on Saturday, In this Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 file photo, participants perform yoga in front of the Eiffel Tower as admissions procedures and
which are being held even part of the sport event "La Parisienne", in Paris. rising administrative fees.
though French President Associated Press Drivers wearing their sig-
Emmanuel Macron surren- nature yellow safety vests
dered Wednesday night Philippe told senators Thurs- end. day after the worst rioting in continued to block roads
and cancelled a fuel tax day that the government In Paris alone, 8,000 police Paris in decades last week- around France, expanding
hike that had unleashed will deploy "exceptional" officers will be mobilized. end. their demands to include
weeks of unrest. security measures for the They will be equipped with Macron agreed to aban- broader tax cuts and wider
On the other side of protests in Paris and else- a dozen armored vehicles don the fuel tax hike, part social benefits.
France's volatile social de- where, with additional new —a first in a French urban of his plans to combat A small union representing
bate, disparate groups of forces on top of area since 2005. global warming, but pro- police administrators called
protesters did the same Speaking on TF1 television, Some "yellow vest" protest- testers' demands have now for a strike Saturday, which
thing, sharing their week- Philippe said 89,000 police ers, French union officials expanded to other issues could further complicate
end plans on social net- officers will be deployed on and prominent politicians hurting French workers, re- security measures. Two po-
works and chat groups. Saturday across France — across the political spec- tirees and students. And lice union officials told The
Prime Minister Edouard up from 65,000 last week- trum called for calm Thurs- in a move questioned by Associated Press they are
both critics and supporters, worried that radical trou-
the president himself has blemakers from both the
disappeared from public far right and far left will hi-
view. jack Saturday's protests.
The prime minister reiter- Meanwhile, videos on so-
ated the government's cial media of police beat-
plan to scrap a fuel tax ing protesters at a Burger
rise planned by the previ- King near the Champs-
ous government because Elysees have stoked the
of the "extreme tensions" protesters' anger. A police
France is facing. spokeswoman said Thurs-
"No tax deserves to put civil day that an investigation is
peace in danger," Philippe underway into that incident
said. and police are examining
The rioting in Paris has wor- other videos circulating on-
ried tourists, prompted the line for possible violations.
cancellation of four French Macron, the central tar-
league soccer matches get of the protests, has
this weekend around the been largely invisible all
country and damaged week. After winning elec-
the local economy at the tion overwhelmingly last
height of the holiday shop- year, the 40-year-old pro-
ping season. Rampaging business centrist has sought
groups last weekend threw to make France more com-
cobblestones through Paris petitive globally. But his ef-
storefronts and looted valu- forts have alienated even
ables in some of the city's some supporters with badly
richest neighborhoods. explained reforms like tax
The Eiffel Tower, along with cuts for the rich to spur in-
more than a dozen muse- vestment in France. Many
ums, two theaters and oth- protesters feel Macron has
er cultural sites in Paris, will an elitist, out-of-touch atti-
be closed Saturday for se- tude that ignores the coun-
curity reasons. The Paris Op- try's high taxes and high
era has cancelled planned unemployment.q