PARIS, December 9. /TASS/. The so-called "yellow vest" protests are a disaster for France’s economy, French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire told reporters on Sunday.
"This is a disaster for trade and for our economy," Le Maire said, according to AFP. He called the current situation in the country a social and democratic crisis. "This is also a crisis of our nation," the minister noted.
Earlier, the minister said that during the previous protests the damage to some enterprises and shopping malls was estimated at 15-50% of their level of usual revenues for this time of the year. According to the Paris mayor’s office, the damage sustained by the city on December 1 reached up to 4 mln euro. France’s automobile federation puts the damage from blocked traffic at 400 mln euro.
On December 8, France was hit by the fourth wave of protests launched by the "yellow vest" movement, which criticizes rising fuel prices, taxes and costs. In Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes and Toulouse the protesters clashed with police. More than 136,000 people took to the streets across France.
According to the latest data of the French Interior Ministry, 1,723 people were hauled off during the protests. Most of them were placed in custody on suspicion of "plotting to commit violence or inciting a crime.".