{"id":27592,"date":"2018-11-22T14:04:14","date_gmt":"2018-11-22T14:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/22\/french-troops-deployed-amid-protests-on-reunion-island\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:19:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:19:42","slug":"french-troops-deployed-amid-protests-on-reunion-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/11\/22\/french-troops-deployed-amid-protests-on-reunion-island\/","title":{"rendered":"French troops deployed amid protests on Reunion island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARIS \u2014 France is deploying soldiers to calm violence on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion<\/a> after protests over fuel tax hikes degenerated into looting and rioting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools on the island are closed for a third day Thursday because protesters’ roadblocks prevent teachers, children and food supplies from reaching them, according to a statement from the regional administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gas price protests have simmered in France and its overseas territories since Saturday. On Reunion, a verdant island cherished by tourists, the protests unleashed broader anger over poverty, which is much more widespread than on the French mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> on Wednesday night defended government efforts to boost the economy on Reunion but also ordered troops to the area, calling the violence \u201cunacceptable.\u201d The French military could not provide details on the deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prefecture said 123 people have been arrested on Reunion since Saturday and some 30 police officers injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Protesters called the “yellow Jackets” face riot police officers as they block a crossroads to protest against the rising of the fuel and oil prices, in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, onTuesday. The protests reflect broader frustration at President Emmanuel Macron, whose government is sticking to the fuel tax rise as part of efforts to clean up the environment. (Claude Paris\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide, the gas price protests have left two people dead and hundreds injured. They are led by drivers who dub themselves the \u201cyellow jackets\u201d for the neon vests that all drivers are required to carry in their cars in case of car trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new wave of protests is planned for sites around the country Saturday. After tensions around an unauthorized protest attempt in Paris last week, the Interior Ministry agreed to allow a gathering on the Champ de Mars<\/a>, the field stretching out beneath the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\t