'Yellow vest' protesters to march in Versailles

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French "yellow vest" protesters will march in the former royal city of Versailles on Saturday in their fight against the government's reforms, the sixth weekend of nationwide protest.

The Versailles chateau and gardens, a symbol of French state power and one of Europe's top tourist attractions, will be closed on Saturday as authorities expect hundreds of protesters in the wealthy suburb, 20 km west of Paris.

Jean-Jacques Brot, prefect of the Yvelines region, told reporters the demonstration would be confined to the city's central avenue, well away from the palace and shopping areas.

According to a prefecture official quoted by daily Ouest France, about 1,400 people have said they would take part in the march following a call to demonstrate in Versailles by one of the "yellow vest" leaders on Thursday.

French police use tear gas to disperse "yellow vest" protesters in Biarritz, France, December 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

Nine people have died in the protests, mostly in traffic accidents at "yellow vest" roadblocks. Retailers, restaurants and hotels have lost millions of revenue in the weekends leading up to Christmas as they were forced to close their doors for fear of looting and violence.

But the movement has gradually lost steam in recent weeks, with just 66,000 people taking part in protests nationwide last Saturday compared to nearly 300,000 on November 17, according to interior ministry data.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a bid to end the violent "yellow vest" protests, announced last week to boost the minimum wage and ease tax increases on pensioners.

Source(s): Reuters