■「黃背心」示威者觀看馬克龍演說，後者承諾改善民眾生活水平。 資料圖片【原文】下文摘錄自香港《文匯報》2018年12月3日報道︰
法國群眾抗議提高燃油稅（fuel tax）的示威愈演愈烈，數千名穿着「黃色背心」（yellow vest）的示威者（protester）前日在首都巴黎（Paris）市中心遊行，其間有暴徒大肆縱火破壞及搶掠，更在著名地標凱旋門（Arc de Triomphe）塗鴉，與防暴警察爆發激烈衝突，引發法國自2005年以來最嚴重的城市騷亂。警方發射催淚彈（tear gas）及水炮（water cannon）驅散，衝突造成最少133人受傷，包括23名警員，另有412人被捕。總統馬克龍（Emmanuel Macron）譴責示威者的暴力行徑，揚言予以嚴懲。政府發言人格里沃（Benjamin Griveaux）表示，當局考慮頒佈緊急狀態（state of emergency），以防局勢惡化，他同時敦促和平示威者重返談判桌（negotiating table）。
示威者連續第三個周末上街抗議，當局指全國共有7.5萬人參與示威，單在巴黎便有5,500人。警方早有部署，在香榭麗舍大道（Champs-Elysées Avenue）實施管制，檢查進入人士的身份證明文件和搜查隨身物品，示威隊伍起初和平遊行，但到了尾段接近杜樂麗花園（Tuileries Garden）一帶，一批混入遊行隊伍的蒙面青年突然發難，他們手持鐵棒企圖衝破警方防線，破壞附近商店櫥窗及汽車，不少汽車被推翻，部分滋事者更縱火燒車及建築物，最少一輛警車及兩幢建築物火光熊熊。警方發射水炮及催淚彈驅散暴徒，雙方爆發激烈衝突（clash）。
部分滋事者走到凱旋門，移走保護凱旋門下方一戰無名英雄紀念碑（Tomb of the Unknown Soldier）的圍欄，聚集高唱國歌（national anthem），有人在凱旋門牆壁塗鴉，噴上「黃色背心將取得勝利（triumph）」等口號。一名美聯社（Associated Press）記者稱，警員及部分示威者試圖保護紀念碑，警員發射催淚彈驅趕人群。傳媒發放的照片顯示，放置於凱旋門內部、象徵法國的瑪麗安娜（Marianne）像遭人擊碎。
在巴黎聖拉扎爾車站（Saint Lazare station），有銀行遭示威者破壞，另有保險公司招牌被噴上「馬克龍入獄」字句。在著名旅遊區馬德萊娜（Madeleine），法國巴黎銀行分行的自動櫃員機被人從牆中拆出，銀行外牆亦被噴上「誰散佈痛苦就會掀起怒火」。
騷亂持續至入夜，不少汽車仍在焚燒，街上充斥濃煙和催淚氣體。當局封鎖市中心多個地區及通往凱旋門的所有道路，並以安全理由下令關閉市中心20個地鐵站。警方譴責數百名極右及極左分子（right/left wing extremist）挑起事端，當局接獲近190宗縱火報告，20名警員受傷，消息人士指出，有放在警車內的步槍（rifle）被搶走，未知是否裝有子彈。一名示威者情況危殆，相信他試圖扯下金屬圍欄時，被圍欄壓下受傷。
在阿根廷（Argentina）出席二十國集團（G20）峰會的馬克龍，前日公開譴責示威者的暴力行為，強調沒有任何理由容許示威者攻擊執法人員、搶掠商舖、縱火、威脅（threaten）行人及記者安全。馬克龍斥責滋事者只想引發混亂，不願見到法國進步，聲言會將他們繩之以法，「我一向尊重社會進行討論的權利，亦會聆聽反對聲音（opposition），但永遠不會接受暴力」。他昨日返國後，與總理菲利普（Edouard Philippe）及內政部長卡斯塔內（Christophe Castaner）召開緊急會議，討論事件，並前往凱旋門視察，其間部分圍觀民眾發出噓聲。
警方宣稱，暴力行動是由極右及極左分子引發，不過卡斯塔內稱，大部分被捕人士都是受到激進（radical）組織煽動（incite）的一般示威者。司法部（Ministry of Justice）消息人士透露，繼巴黎前日發生騷亂後，南部城市納博訥（Narbonne）昨日有示威者闖入高速公路，並焚燒一個收費亭，里昂（Lyon）附近連接法國東南部及東北部的A6高速公路，亦遭示威者堵塞。
French "Yellow vest" protesters protest over rising fuel taxes
【譯文】The protests over rising fuel taxes in France had intensified and thousands of angry "yellow vest" protesters marched through the capital city Paris looting stores and setting fire around, as well as spraying graffiti on the famous landmark Arc de Triomphe. The demonstrators clashed with the riot police and triggered the worst urban violence since at least 2005. The police fired tear gas and water cannon in response to the protests, resulting in at least 133 injuries, including 23 police officers, and 412 arrests. The French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence by protesters at demonstrations against rising fuel prices and the government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said the country would consider imposing a state of emergency and urged peaceful protesters to return to the negotiating table.
The ongoing protests had lasted for three consecutive weeks and the French authorities said they counted 75,000 demonstrators across the country, including 5,500 in Paris. Meanwhile, the police employed crowd-control measure at the Champs-Elysées Avenue through identity checks and bag inspections. The demonstration was going on peacefully at first, but when approaching the Tuileries Garden, groups of youths with many of them masked joined the protest suddenly. They broke through the metal fence of the Tuileries gardens, smashed shop windows, damaged cars and set fires in vehicles and buildings, including at least one police car and two buildings. The police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters and the movement was eventually turned into a fierce street clash between both sides.
The troublemakers removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I and symbolically gathered under the Arc de Triomphe to sing France' s national anthem. Some even damaged the iconic Arc de Triomphe monument with graffiti declaring "the yellow vests will triumph". An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the police and certain protestors tried to protect the monument and the police officers fired tear gas aiming to disperse the crowd. Some photographs from media showed that the statue of Marianne, a symbol in France, was vandalized inside the Arc de Triomphe.
At the Saint Lazare station in Paris, the windows of a bank were smashed and a branch of an insurance company was sprayed with graffiti reading "Macron in prison". In another popular tourist area Madeleine, an ATM machine of a branch of the BNP bank was pulled out of the wall. The external walls of the building were also damaged with graffiti reading "who sows misery reaps anger".
The riot lasted until mid-night with many vehicles burning and the streets filled with smoke and tear gas. The authorities blocked most areas in the city centre as well as the roads leading to the Arc de Triomphe, and at least 20 Paris metro stations were shut due to the unrest for security reason. The police blamed hundreds of right and left wing extremists for triggering the widespread social unrest, causing nearly 190 fires and 20 police officers injuries. A police assault rifle had reportedly been stolen by protesters and not sure whether it was equipped with bullets. At least one demonstrator remained in serious condition after a heavy metal fence fell on protesters during the riots.
Macron condemned the violence at a news conference at the G20 summit in Argentina, emphasizing that no cause justified that authorities were attacked, businesses were plundered, fires were set and passers-by or journalists were threatened. He said the protesters wanted chaos but not improvements, warning that they would be brought to justice for their actions. "I will always respect debate and I will always listen to opposition but I will never accept violence," he said. He convened a urgent meeting with the Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and the Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to discuss the issue after returning to Paris and went straight to inspect the damage at the Arc de Triomphe, but was greeted with boos and hisses by the crowd.
The police claimed that the violence was triggered by radical far-right or far-left groups, but Castaner said most of the arrested were ordinary protesters incited by radical organizations. According to the Ministry of Justice, following the riots happened in Paris, the protesters also took to the streets across the country, including the southern city of Narbonne with demonstrators breaking into the highway and burning a toll booth, and the A6 highway connecting the southeast and northeast of France near Lyon was also blocked. ■龐嘉儀
知多點
1. 根據提高燃油稅計劃，法國總統馬克龍鼓勵民眾購買哪種環保交通工具？
2. 承上題，馬克龍打算增加什麼研究投資，以減少對化石燃料（Fossil fuel）的依賴？
3. 示威者主要透過什麼社交媒體發起黃背心運動？
4. 估計示威活動至今造成多少經濟損失？
5. 為回應民眾訴求，馬克龍政府承諾增加多少公共開支？
Answer
1. 電動車（Electric vehicle）
2. 可再生能源（Renewable energy）
3. Facebook、Twitter等
4. 10億歐元
5. 80至100億歐元