Yellow Vest Protesters Pledge Not to Back Down

Women, some carrying pink balloons, led the calm and orderly Paris march, advocating for equal rights and equal pay a day after International Women's Day.
A water cannon contained several hundred protesters who remained on the Champs-Elysees and wanted to leave the security perimeter.
The march, which began at the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the famed avenue, looped through both sides of the Seine River before ending at the top of Luxembourg Gardens on the Left Bank.
Marches were also held in numerous cities around France, including Bordeaux, which has a strong contingent of yellow vest protesters, Lille, and Le Puy-en-Velay, in south-central France, where hundreds joined from other regions. Many shopkeepers there boarded up their businesses in advance to protect their wares.
The movement, named after the emergency vests the French are required to keep in their cars, held its first nationwide protest Nov. 17. The main complaint then was fuel tax hikes, but that long ago expanded to an array of demands. Calls for a citizens' referendum is now among top demands on the list.
The grassroots movement has been a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron, who has organized national debates around the country - many of which he attends, responding to questions. He has also offered a multibillion-euro package of measures to appease them.
But determination hasn't flagged for many, and a larger showing is widely expected at next week's protests marking four months of marches and coinciding with the end of the president's two months of debates.
"The people don't want more of this financial globalization," said Paris protester Yannick Caroff. "The French people will not back down ... Between 10 and 15 million French are in misery," he claimed.
What started out last November as a backlash against Macron’s plan to hike fuel taxes — part of his bid to push a cleaner energy model — has morphed into a broader movement decrying the government as out of touch with the hardships faced by some households and low-income workers.
Turnout has dwindled since nearly 300,000 people took part in road blockades and marches across France on Nov. 17, coming in at 46,600 last Saturday according to the interior ministry.
But protesters have carried on nonetheless, with few signs of a halt in demonstrations any time soon. The latest turnout figures were not yet available.
Source:Keyhan