French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced a six-month moratorium on planned tax hikes on fuel in response to weeks of nationwide protests against high pump prices and living costs.
Philippe said on Tuesday that he hoped the measure would “bring calm and serenity back to” France and “enable real dialogue” on the concerns of the so-called “yellow-vest” protesters.
The demonstrations, which began on November 17, sparked on Saturday Paris’ worst rioting in decades, with protesters clashing with police, setting fire to vehicles and looting shops around the capital’s famed Champs Elysees avenue.