French police dislodge fuel protesters

PARIS: French police moved to dislodge protesters blocking roads and fuel depots on Tuesday as the government took a harder line on the so-called "yellow vest" movement against environmental taxes on fuel.

Hundreds of thousands of people blockaded roads across France on Saturday wearing high-visibility yellow vests in a national wave of defiance aimed at centrist President Emmanuel Macron.

The disruption underlined the anger and frustration felt by many motorists, particularly in rural areas or small towns, who are fed up with what they see as Macron's anti-car policies, including tax hikes on diesel.

Macron, who has made a point of not backing down in the face of public pressure, on Tuesday called for more "dialogue" to better explain his policies. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe urged ruling Republic On The Move lawmakers on Tuesday to stand firm in the face of voter criticism, saying the party would reap the rewards of its "constancy and determination".

One person was accidentally killed and 530 people have been injured, 17 seriously, over four days of protests that have come to encompass a wide variety of grievances over the rising cost of living.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has instructed police to begin breaking up the remaining roadblocks, particularly those around fuel depots and sites of strategic importance. "We can see today that there are real excesses from a movement that was for the most part conducted in good spirit on Saturday," he told France 2 TV.

Several of the injuries were caused by motorists trying to force their way through roadblocks, but some protesters have also been accused of intimidating people or putting their lives in danger.