France Needs Tranquility After Strasbourg Shooting, Yellow Vest Protests - Gov't Spokesman
France needs tranquility after Tuesday's shooting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg as well as following a wave of violent protests throughout the country, French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on Wednesday.
"Let me just remind you that to declare a demonstration is to guarantee the safety of participants. Regarding the events that took place last night and the incidents that have taken place over several weekends on the streets of the capital and on the streets of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Saint-Etienne and other cities, it seems to me that peace and tranquility are necessary during this period," Griveaux said at a briefing.
The spokesman also refused to comment on whether the government was discussing a possibility of preventing activists from holding their rallies.
As many as two people were killed and a third person was brain-dead after a gunman opened fire close to Strasbourg's Christmas market on Tuesday, also injuring 12 other people, six out of them gravely. The shooter is still on the run.
France has seen a wave of mass protests since mid-November, when the so-called yellow vest protesters named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers took to the streets to rally against rising fuel prices and a planned hike in tax on diesel and carbon fuels. The yellow vest rallies in France have been marked by violent clashes with police officers, who have used tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters.