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Le Monde: Police arrested more than 10,000 ‘yellow vests’ in France since November 2018

The now-renowned ‘yellow vest’ rallies started in France on November 17, 2018 in protest of the rising automobile fuel prices

PARIS, November 8. /TASS/. The French police have detained more than 10,000 supporters of the 'yellow vest' movement since its inception in November last year, the newspaper Le Monde reported on Friday, based on the data received from the French Ministry of Justice.

According to the newspaper, French courts have delivered more than 3,000 guilty verdicts against the movement's members, in particular under sections on participating in mass riots and attacks on law enforcement officers.

Approximately 400 have been convicted resulting in prison sentences and immediate incarceration. According to the newspaper, many people were sentenced to compulsory community service. Suspended prison sentences were handed down for others.

The now-renowned ‘yellow vest’ rallies started in France on November 17, 2018. They were initially held to protest rising automobile fuel prices. Thus, the reflective vests of car drivers gave rise to the movement’s unofficial ‘uniform.’ The first rally drew 282,000 participants, the organizers say. However, their numbers have been declining since then. The list of demands put forward by the ‘yellow vests’ now includes not just socio-economic, but political grievances against the authorities as well.