French minister objects to tear gas prohibition call

By Yusuf Ozcan </p> <p>PARIS (AA) – French interior minister on Tuesday objected to the call by a rights defender for prohibiting the use of tear gas on protesters.</p> <p>Speaking on France’s BFM TV channel, Christophe Castaner argued that police need to use gas canisters in order to protect themselves.</p> <p>He said that more people will be injured when police does not use tear gas.</p> <p>According to local newspaper Liberation, at least 69 people were injured due to tear gas shelling and 14 of them lost one of their eyes.</p> <p>The French minister admitted last week that four Yellow Vest protesters had suffered heavy eye injuries due to police intervention.</p> <p>Jacques Toubon, a public rights defender, requested the government last week to prohibit the use of dangerous weapons — including rubber bullets, stun grenades and gas canisters — on demonstrators.</p> <p>The Yellow Vest protests, which started as a reaction to fuel tax hikes and evolved into a protest against 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 Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and deteriorating economic situation.</p> <p>Demonstrators held protests blocking roads, as well as the entrances and exits to gas stations and factories across the country.</p> <p>Under pressure, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hike.</p> <p>Since then, however, the protests have grown into a broader movement aimed at tackling income inequality and are calling for giving citizens a stronger voice in government decision-making.</p> <p>At least 10 people have died, around 6,000 others have been detained and over 2,000 others have been injured in the protests.