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French Senate Backs Proposed Social Measures in Response to Yellow Vest Rallies

© REUTERS / Pascal RossignolA protester wearing a yellow vests holds a French flag as police arrive to secure the site as their shelter at a traffic island is dismantled near the A2 Paris-Brussels motorway in Fontaine-Notre-Dame, France, December 14, 2018
A protester wearing a yellow vests holds a French flag as police arrive to secure the site as their shelter at a traffic island is dismantled near the A2 Paris-Brussels motorway in Fontaine-Notre-Dame, France, December 14, 2018 - Sputnik International
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PARIS (Sputnik) – The French Senate on Friday backed a draft law on emergency economic and social measures declared by the authorities in response to the yellow vest protests.

"The French Senate has ultimately supported the draft law on emergency economic and social measures," the Senate said on its Twitter page.

Protestors clash with riot police on December 8, 2018 in Bordeaux, southwestern France, during a demonstration against rising costs of living. The yellow vest movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. - Sputnik International
‘Yellow Vests’ Occupy French Highways, Torch Toll Booths
Earlier in the day, the French National Assembly, lower chamber of the country’s parliament, also supported the draft law after 13-hour discussions.

The wave of the so-called yellow vest protests — named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers — started in mid-November. While the French government has scrapped its planned hike in diesel taxes, which is what initially sparked the protests, the yellow vests have evolved into a broader movement against government policies and rising living costs.

READ MORE: Russian Civic Chamber Urges OSCE to Assess BBC Journo's 'Yellow Vests' Research

The rallies have been marked by violent clashes between protesters and the police, rioting, burning cars and destroyed shops and banks.

Earlier in December, French President Emmanuel Macron introduced a number of measures aimed at resolving the nation's economic and social crisis and declared a state of economic and social emergency.

The proposed measures included annual bonuses for employees and exemptions from increased social security tax for pensioners earning less than 2,000 euros (over $2,200) per month.

READ MORE: Going Global: Yellow Vests Protests Flare up in Canada's Toronto (VIDEOS)

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