Hundreds injured in France fuel protest

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Demonstrations in France over rising fuel prices have left more than 400 people injured, officials say, as protests spilled into a second day.

The French interior ministry said that nearly 300 protesters were questioned, with 157 among them taken into custody.

Some 288,000 people took part in Saturday’s protests, the ministry said, with scores under way on Sunday.

The demonstrators, known as the “yellow vests”, have been setting up roadblocks across France.

Many turned their anger on President Emmanuel Macron, who they accuse of being out-of-touch. He is yet to comment on the protests, and has seen his popularity slump in polls.

The president came to power last year vowing to overhaul the French economy and argues the hikes are needed to wean the French people off fossil fuels.

The government has announced a number of measures to help poorer families pay their energy and transport bills.

But support for the protests appears broad. Nearly three-quarters of respondents to a poll by the Elabe institute backed the Yellow Vests and 70% wanted the government to reverse the fuel tax hikes. (BBC)

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