Europe 1 with AFP 06:55, March 22, 2022

Unhappy with government announcements, construction professionals, fishermen, farmers, transporters or taxis carried out new actions Monday across the country to protest against fuel prices.

Europe 1 gives an overview of the protest actions that have taken place all over France.

Filtering dams, blocking of oil depots and refineries: dissatisfied with government announcements, construction professionals, fishermen, farmers, transporters or taxis carried out new actions on Monday throughout the country to protest against fuel prices.

In Normandy, some 200 heavy goods vehicles were blocked for several hours near Torigny-les-Villes, at the entrance to the A84 which links Avranches to Caen.

In the afternoon, there were still 345 heavy goods vehicles stopped at a motorway exit roundabout in Guilberville.

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Government announcements do not calm tensions

As for the Lorient oil depot, it was time for calm.

Representatives of companies in the public works sector, transporters, farmers, ambulance drivers, taxis and agricultural companies, have decided to lift the blockages.

The prefecture of Morbihan evoked a "frank and direct meeting" with the representatives of the professions who were able to present "with determination their demands".

Monday morning, the envelope of 400 million euros in aid to road hauliers and the rebate of 15 cents per liter of diesel announced last week by the government had not been enough to appease the anger of the demonstrators.

Invited Monday evening on TF1, to come and support the candidate Macron, Prime Minister Jean Castex estimated in the perspective of the post-presidential and about the fuel crisis, "that whatever it is, the power in place may have the choice to continue to act".

"What I am planning, (...) is a device also on gasoline and diesel, on energy, but which is a little different from the 15 cents for everyone", underlined Jean Castex .

Professionals demand a drop in the price of diesel

The head of government mentioned a device "more intensive for two categories of our fellow citizens: those who drive a lot to work where there, it would probably be necessary to go beyond 15 cents" and a "second entry key" for " those of our fellow citizens whose purchasing power, whose incomes are low, in other words a more targeted device for those who do not earn much and for those who drive a lot".

While the price of road fuel sold in French service stations fell below 2 euros on average last week, for the first time since the start of the year, according to official figures published on Monday, professionals are still calling for a drop in the price of diesel and GNR (non-road diesel).

Constantly rising in recent months, the price of these fuels had soared after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

At the start of the afternoon, four ships were still blocking access to the Tréport trade basin, according to the prefecture of Seine-Maritime.

The port had been blocked by 100 and 150 fishermen, according to the cooperative of artisanal fishermen in the town.

A demonstration also brought together 170 participants at the Normandy bridge.

Snail operations also took place around Lorient, on the Rennes bypass, in Brest, Angers or La Rochelle and between Loire-Atlantique and Vendée.

Taxi drivers joined the movement

South of Lyon, a dozen trucks blocked shipments from the TotalEnergies refinery in Feyzin (Rhône), at the call of the Confédération paysanne and the Rural Coordination.

Despite the demonstrations, there is "no tension on supplies to date and we do not anticipate any tension", told AFP a spokesperson for Ufip Energies and Mobilities, which brings together professionals in the oil sector in France.

Taxi drivers have also joined the movement with snail operations in Orléans and Besançon.

Near Marseille, hundreds of taxis blocked the logistics warehouses in the Miramas commercial area.

In Corsica, the two oil depots on the island, in Ajaccio and Lucciana (Haute-Corse), were blocked by farmers who placed their tractors and trailers in front of the depot entrances at 5:30 a.m., according to the prefecture.

They are asking for a resilience plan specific to Corsica.

In Hauts-de-France, filter dams took place in Dourges (Pas-de-Calais) and at the Lesquin transport and logistics center.