The "Yellow Vest" storm spreads to many European countries
Many protesters in Britain, Austria, Belgium and Italy last weekend and last week wore yellow vests, modeled after the protest movement in France.
|
Protesters wearing yellow vests take part in a march in Rome on December 15. Photo:AFP |
Thousands of people marched in the Italian capital Rome on December 15 to protest the government's new anti-immigration law, according toSBS. Protesters waved flags, some wearing yellow shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Stand up! Fight for your rights!".
Kone Brahima, a protester from Ivory Coast, said the new law would "only increase the number of undocumented immigrants in Italy and force them into hiding".
The new immigration law, passed by parliament on November 28, limits the number of people allowed into Italy, which has become a gateway for migrants to Europe via the Mediterranean. It also abolishes the issuance of “humanitarian residence cards”, previously limited to 25% of all asylum seekers, replacing them with special residence cards only for “deserving” cases.
In Austria, some 17,000 people in the capital Vienna braved the cold weather over the weekend to take part in an anti-government protest. The protesters were protesting the authorities' migration policy and demanding a shorter working day and the abolition of austerity measures. The protest caused traffic disruptions, but no serious incidents occurred.
|
Anti-government protesters in Vienna, Austria, December 15. Photo:AFP |
In the UK, on December 14, pro-Brexit activists dressed in yellow vests marched on Westminster Bridge, causing traffic jams. Many chanted "Brexit now". London police said they were aware of the protest and no arrests were made.
Last weekend, more than 400 people were arrested in Brussels, Belgium, in a similar riot in Paris, where protesters threw rocks and set fire to cars and shops. Police used tear gas and water cannons to keep the crowd from approaching the EU headquarters and government buildings. The protest movement was against rising living costs and called for the dissolution of the center-right coalition government.
Meanwhile, in France, the "yellow vest" protest movement continued over the weekend, but its scale has significantly decreased. Authorities estimated that only about 66,000 people participated in the protest, down nearly half from the previous weekend. The protest initially aimed to protest fuel tax increases, but later expanded to many other issues, including education reform.
