French minister objects to tear gas prohibition call

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - French interior minister on Tuesday objected to the call by a rights defender for prohibiting the use of tear gas on protesters.

Speaking on France’s BFM TV channel, Christophe Castaner argued that police need to use gas canisters in order to protect themselves.

He said that more people will be injured when police does not use tear gas.

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.

The French minister admitted last week that four Yellow Vest protesters had suffered heavy eye injuries due to police intervention.

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.

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.

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.

Demonstrators held protests blocking roads, as well as the entrances and exits to gas stations and factories across the country.

Under pressure, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hike.

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.

At least 10 people have died, around 6,000 others have been detained and over 2,000 others have been injured in the protests.