Continued Yellow Vest protests seek to end govt: France

By Yusuf Ozcan </p> <p>PARIS (AA) – Yellow Vest protesters still taking to the streets after rocking France late last year want to topple the government, said a French government spokesman on Friday. </p> <p>“Those who continue to protest are agitators who want an uprising and to overthrow the government,” government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said after the first Cabinet meeting of the year. </p> <p>He called on the French people to express their views during national debates organized in the coming weeks in all regions, rather than by taking to the streets. </p> <p>“Our government quickly responded to their demands,” Griveaux added. </p> <p> </p> <p>-Yellow Vest protests </p> <p>The Yellow Vest protests, which started as a reaction to fuel tax hikes and evolved into a protest against French President Emmanuel Macron, have continued despite the government’s call for them to halt. </p> <p>Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests — dubbed the Yellow Vests — have gathered in major French cities, including the capital Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation. </p> <p>Demonstrators held protests blocking roads and traffic, and also blocked the entrance and exits to many gas stations and factories across the country. </p> <p>The protestors, 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. </p> <p>Under pressure from the protests, Macron announced a raise in the minimum wage and also scuttled controversial fuel tax hikes. </p> <p>At least 10 people died, over 4,000 others were detained, and more than a thousand others were wounded in the protests. </p> <p>