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TEHRAN, Apr 07 - Thousands of "yellow vest" protesters marched Saturday for the 21st consecutive week to denounce French government policies, as the authorities prepare to unveil the results of a nationwide consultative exercise designed to address public grievances.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - From Rouen in the north and Lyon in the southeast -- as well as the capital Paris -- protesters took to the streets carrying banners denouncing French President Emmanuel Macron. In the west, French and German activists joined forces on the border.
Some masked protesters clashed with police in Rouen, but there was nothing like the scale of violence seen in previous weeks, such as the March 16 riots in Paris that saw luxury stores on the Champs-Elysees ransacked.
Interior ministry figures -- consistently dismissed as underestimates by the protesters -- put the turnout across France at 22,300 of whom 3,500 were in Paris.
These are the lowest figures officially recorded, and significantly down on the 282,000 who turned out for the first yellow vest rally in November last year. But many of the remaining activists insist they will keep marching until they get satisfaction from the government.
"What will get me to stop, is the resignation of (Interior Minister Christophe) Castaner, because of the police violence," said Catherine, 59, a demonstrator in Paris.
Castaner has been heavily criticized both by yellow vest activists and opposition politicians for having played down reports of police violence despite growing numbers of serious injuries among protesters.
Source: AFP
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