French fishermen have escalated protests over soaring fuel costs, blockading ports and an oil depot along the Mediterranean coast as the government struggles to contain a crisis threatening to revive memories of the Yellow Vest movement.
At Frontignan, up to 200 fishermen gathered outside an oil depot from the early hours of yesterday, blocking tanker lorries from entering or leaving. Protesters burned tyres and pallets, while about 30 fishing boats obstructed the port at nearby Sète.
Further east, fishing vessels blocked the entrance to Nice’s Port Lympia, forcing a ferry bound for Corsica to divert to the Italian port of Savona and leaving yachts waiting to depart.
The protests have entered their third day despite President Emmanuel Macron ordering the government to make a “total mobilisation” to address the impact of soaring fuel prices. Fishermen have warned that similar action could spread to Marseille and Toulon.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has extended emergency fuel assistance until the end of the year and increased support for fishermen from 25 to 35 cents per litre.
The measures have failed to satisfy protesters, who argue that their operating costs have risen beyond levels at which the industry can remain viable.
Ange Natoli, a fisherman from Martigues, said the increased subsidy did not reflect the scale of the crisis. Before meeting Fisheries Minister Catherine Chabaud in Paris, he said the 35-cent payment was “not sufficient at all”.
Natoli said fuel had previously represented about 30 per cent of his turnover but now accounted for more than 70 per cent. “The boats are no longer profitable,” he told the Telegraph.
Mathieu Chapelle, a fisherman from Le Grau-du-Roi, said the industry was approaching collapse. “We are on the edge of bankruptcy,” he said, warning that the Mediterranean fishing sector was at risk of disappearing entirely.
The fishermen are demanding that marine diesel be capped at 60 cents a litre and have complained that financial assistance promised since April has yet to reach them.
The unrest comes as diesel prices in France climbed above €2.37 a litre yesterday, just below their previous record.
The surge has revived memories of the Yellow Vest protests that erupted in 2018 over fuel taxes and the rising cost of living. Online calls for nationwide demonstrations on October 17 have begun circulating, although some figures associated with the original movement have questioned the strength of the latest mobilisation.
An Odoxa-Backbone poll nevertheless found that 88 per cent of respondents believed rising fuel prices could trigger a movement resembling the Yellow Vests.
The government has attributed the latest price shock largely to disruption in international energy supplies linked to the war in Iran rather than domestic taxation.
Mr Macron’s office is due to hold a meeting later today to discuss the deteriorating international situation and its implications for France’s security and energy supply.
The economic backdrop is already difficult. France’s debt has surpassed €3.5tn, while the minority government faces pressure to secure parliamentary support for its budget.
A study published yesterday found that about 17mn French adults, or 37 per cent of the adult population, were experiencing “mobility poverty”. One in 10 respondents said transport costs or difficulties had forced them to reject employment or training opportunities.
With the presidential election seven months away, fuel prices and household purchasing power are emerging as major political issues, with candidates across the political spectrum proposing different combinations of tax cuts, price controls and targeted assistance.
Leave a Comment