The Team Taxi collective has given up calling for another demonstration on Wednesday in Paris, due to a prefectural ban on gatherings near the Assembly at the end of a first day of demonstration, one of its members explained to the AFP. “We were planning to demonstrate again tomorrow in front of the Assembly, but the prefecture refused and suggested that we go to the Cours de Vincennes (in the south-east of Paris): that is of no interest. We don’t see who we could raise awareness there”Walid Hanida, from the Team Taxi collective, explained to AFP on Tuesday evening.
“We are no longer calling for demonstrations tomorrow, Wednesday. We will wait to see if there is any government censorship. Because if the government falls, it resets the counters to zero.”he added. The Paris police headquarters issued an order on Tuesday evening prohibiting the demonstrations planned by the collective near the Assembly, in the name of “imperatives of public order” after a first day of mobilization where there were signs of “fire outbreaks”, “fireworks mortar jets” et “traffic obstructions”. The prefectural decree specifies that another gathering place – Cours de Vincennes – was offered to the collective, which refused it.
More than 500 taxis demonstrated Tuesday near the National Assembly, to protest against lower pricing for the transport of patients. In order to make 300 million euros in savings on this medical transport, the Barnier government, threatened with censorship, wishes to force taxis and medical transporters to negotiate measures with Health Insurance, under penalty of imposed price reductions. “We came to explain to the deputies why taxis cannot alone bear the weight of medical deserts, why the reduction in mileage rates to transport patients went against an economic and social model. We will come back if necessary”added Walid Hanida.
