法国宪兵队星期六在巴黎举行的“黄色背心”运动中使用辣椒喷雾来驱赶抗议者。星期二在斯特拉斯堡发生恐怖袭击后,政府呼吁抗议者停止他们的行动。[克里斯蒂安·哈特曼/路透社]法国总统伊曼纽尔·麦隆做出的让步和斯特拉斯堡恐怖袭击后发出的警告未能阻止“黄背心”抗议者在全国连续第五个星期六示威。与之前在法国全国12.5万多人的示威相比,周六有6.6万名抗议者出现,其中约有3000人出现在巴黎。寒冷的天气、政府的警告和让步可能是人群减少的原因。周六,法国在全国部署了69000名警察,其中包括在巴黎的大约8000名警察。在巴黎香榭丽舍大街附近,警察使用催泪瓦斯和高压水枪驱散抗议者。大约115人被拘留。一些抗议者举着要求艾曼纽尔.马龙总统下台的标语,另一些人则要求就社会问题进行全民公投。与过去几周不同的是,卢浮宫、埃菲尔铁塔、拉斐特画廊和printemps等主要的商店和博物馆周六仍然营业。在周二晚上斯特拉斯堡圣诞市场发生恐怖袭击后,政府呼吁抗议者暂停行动。在那里,一名枪手进行了疯狂射击,打死4人。周一晚上,Macron还宣布了一些重大的让步,以取消燃油税的上调,这首先引发了黄色背心抗议。他还承诺从1月份开始每月将最低工资提高100欧元,并对领取养老金的人减税。但Macron并没有屈服于恢复针对富人的财富税的要求。法国公共行动和账户部国务卿杜索普(Olivier Dussopt)对媒体表示,社会改革预计将使政府损失80亿至100亿美元。这种黄色背心在法语中被称为“Gilets Jaunes”(一种在法国每辆车上都必须穿着的高可见度黄色夹克),最初是为了抗议今年早些时候Macron提出的旨在消除碳排放的燃油税提高。但从那时起,它已经蔓延到对政府在广泛问题上的广泛不满。抗议者要求提高工资、降低税收、提高养老金和更轻松地进入大学。法国经济观察中心(French Economic Observatory of CE)的一项研究表明,2008年至2016年间,该国家庭人均可支配收入平均下降440欧元。这场运动在法国社会得到了广泛的支持。周六,波尔多、南特和加来的城市发生了大规模的黄色背心抗议活动。这一运动也波及到了其他国家,在这些国家,社会底层的人们越来越对社会不平等感到沮丧,并且由于税收过高而难以维持生计。在布鲁塞尔发生类似抗议之后,比利时政府还宣布,燃料价格不会与明年的指数挂钩。上周五,布鲁塞尔的一位宜家卡车司机告诉《中国日报》,生活很艰难,因为他工作时间长,现在一切都变得越来越昂贵。”一个人生活在经济上是不可能的,”那个不愿透露姓名的人说。
French gendarmes use pepper spray to push back protesters during a demonstration near the Opera House as part of the "yellow vests" movement in Paris on Saturday. The government had called on the protesters to suspend their action after Tuesday's terror attack in Strasbourg. [CHRISTIAN HARTMANN/REUTERS]

The concessions made by French President Emmanuel Macron and the warning following a terror attack in Strasbourg failed to stop the "yellow vest" protesters from demonstrating for the fifth consecutive Saturday across the country.

Compared with previous demonstrations of more than 125,000 people across France, 66,000 protesters showed up on Saturday, including about 3,000 in Paris. Cold weather, a government warning and concessions were likely reasons for the smaller crowd.

France deployed 69,000 police nationwide on Saturday, including around 8,000 in Paris. In and near the Champs-Elysees in Paris, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters. About 115 people were detained.

Some protesters held signs calling for President Emmanuel Macron to step down while some others called for a referendum on social issues.

Unlike the past weeks, major shops and museums, such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, remained open on Saturday.

The government had called on the protesters to suspend the action in the wake of Tuesday night's terror attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg, where a gunman went on a shooting spree and killed four people.

Macron also announced on Monday evening some major concessions to scrap a fuel tax rise, which sparked the yellow vest protest in the first place. He also promised to raise the minimum wage by 100 euros a month starting in January and tax cuts for pensioners. But Macron has not yielded to demands to restore the wealth tax that targets the rich.

Social reforms

Olivier Dussopt, France's secretary of state to the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts, told the press that the social reforms are expected to cost the government between $8 billion and $10 billion.

The yellow vests, known in French as "gilets jaunes" (a high-visibility yellow jacket that must be carried in every vehicle in France), started as a protest against the fuel tax hike proposed by Macron early this year aimed at fighting carbon emissions. But it has since spread to broad frustration with the government over a wide range of issues.

The protesters are demanding higher salaries, lower taxes, better pensions and easier university entry requirements.

A study by the French economic observatory OFCE shows that disposable income in the country dropped by 440 euros on average for each household between 2008 and 2016.

The movement has gained widespread support in the French society. On Saturday, large-scale yellow vest protests took place in the cities of Bordeaux, Nantes and Calais.

The movement has also spread to other countries, where people at the bottom of the society are increasingly frustrated with the social inequality and the difficulty to make ends meet amid accusations that taxes are too high.

Following similar protests in Brussels, the Belgian government also announced that fuel prices would not be index-linked from next year.

One Ikea lorry driver in Brussels told China Daily on Friday that life is difficult because he works long hours and everything is getting so much more expensive now.

"It's impossible (financially) to live alone," said the man who did not want to be named.