French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Friday he was going to press charges against lawmaker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan who accused the minister's "little troublemakers" of vandalizing the iconic Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris during protests last week.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2018) French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Friday he was going to press charges against lawmaker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan who accused the minister's "little troublemakers" of vandalizing the iconic Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris during protests last week.Dupont-Aignan, a member of the National Assembly and the leader of Debout la France party, told the media earlier this week that the members of the Yellow Vests protest movement defended the tomb of the unknown soldier located under the arch.
"I have decided to press charges against Mr. Dupont-Aignan who dared to state at the National Assembly, shamelessly, that, I am quoting, 'it was the little troublemakers of Mr. Castaner that vandalized the Arc de Triomphe'," Castaner said.
The Yellow Vests movement has been organizing protests in France since November 17 in response to the government's plans to raise fuel tax. At least four people have died in the protests that turned violent and more have been injured.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the government would suspend the three fiscal measures that were supposed to take effect on January 1 next year, including the fuel tax increase, for six months. French Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire confirmed on Thursday that the government would not increase the national fuel tax in 2019.
