Another Yellow Vest protestor killed in France

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - One more person was killed in the fifth week of the Yellow Vest protests in the southwestern French city of Agen, bringing the total number of people killed since the start of the protests to nine, local media reported.

The 61-year-old victim reportedly came to Agen from the city of Villeneuve-sur-Lot to support the demonstrators blocking roads across the country.

The person was hit by a truck near the highway, according to the local media reports.

Yellow Vest protests, which started as a reaction to fuel tax hikes and evolved into an uprising against French President Emmanuel Macron, continues despite the government’s call to halt it.

Protestors made 360 road blockades nationwide, while the security officers had opened 170 of them since Saturday, according to the French Interior Ministry on Wednesday.

Earlier, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that there was no other social issue which has caused the killing of so many people in the last 30 years, calling the protestors to stop demonstrations.

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 French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation.

The demonstrators, 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.

During demonstrations, over 4,000 people were detained and more than a thousand others wounded.

Under pressure from the protests, Macron announced a raise in the minimum wage and also scuttled controversial fuel tax hikes.