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France's Yellow Vest Protests Abate as Fewer Take to Streets

  • Demonstrations draw 23,800 protesters vs. 33,500 a week ago
  • Crash linked to protests kills driver in south of France
Protestors at the A9 highway toll in southern France on Dec. 22.

Protestors at the A9 highway toll in southern France on Dec. 22.

Photographer: Raymond Roig/AFP via Getty Images

Updated on

Protests led by the grassroots Yellow Vest movement abated across France on Saturday, a signal that a call to mobilize for a sixth straight weekend failed to maintain the momentum.

An estimated 23,800 protested nationwide as of 2 p.m. local time, down from 33,500 at the same time a week ago, Agence France Presse reported, citing the interior ministry. Authorities stopped 109 people for questioning in Paris, BFM TV reported, citing the Prefecture de police. One of the movement’s spokesmen, Eric Drouet, was among those arrested in the French capital, various media reported.