Fatih Hafız Mehmet
02 February 2019•Update: 02 February 2019
By Yusuf Ozcan
PARIS
The Paris coordinator of France’s Yellow Vest protest movement said Friday they are preparing to participate in European Union parliamentary elections.
In remarks made on the BFM TV news channel, Thierry Paul Valette said they have created a list of candidates from the movement, called the Yellow Vested Citizens Union, and want to formally take part in the elections, which will be held on May 26.
Valette said they want to build a more democratic and social Europe.
Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have gathered in major French cities, including Paris, to protest French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and deteriorating economic situation.
Demonstrators held protests blocking roads as well as entrances and exits to gas stations and factories across the country.
Under pressure, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hikes.
Since then, however, the protests have grown into a broader movement aimed at tackling income inequality and are calling for giving citizens a stronger voice in government decision-making.
At least 10 people have died, around 6,000 others have been detained and over 2,000 others have been injured in the protests.
