“Yellow vests” protesters threaten to bring France to a standstill

Drivers plan to disrupt traffic across France on Saturday by blocking roads, bridges and toll booths in a mass protest at rising fuel prices.

Dubbed the "yellow vests" after the high-visibility jackets they use as their symbol, they are expected to muster in at least 700 locations.

They accuse President Emmanuel Macron of abandoning "the little people".

Macron admitted this week that he had not "really managed to reconcile the French people with its leaders".

Nonetheless, he accused his political opponents of hijacking the movement in order to block his reform programme.

Officials have warned that, while they will not stop the protests, they will not allow them to bring the French road network to a standstill.

The price of diesel, the most commonly used fuel in French cars, has risen by around 23% over the past 12 months to an average of €1.51 (£1.32; $1.71) per liter, its highest point since the early 2000s.

World oil prices did rise before falling back again but the Macron government raised its hydrocarbon tax this year by 7.6 cents per liter on diesel and 3.9 cents on petrol, as part of a campaign for cleaner cars and fuel.

The decision to impose a further increase of 6.5 cents on diesel and 2.9 cents on petrol on 1 January 2019 was seen as the final straw.

Speaking on Wednesday, the president blamed world oil prices for three-quarters of the price rise. Interior Minister Christopher Castaner argued that the fall in world oil prices would compensate for the tax increase.

News of the protest has spread so fast on Facebook and Twitter that new muster points seem to appear daily as people share hashtags such as #GiletsJaunes (Yellow Vests) and #17novembre.

Demonstrators are threatening to block motorways and access roads to some oil depots, including in Calais near the Channel Tunnel.

One less disruptive tactic being suggested is to cover speed cameras with bin bags.

At the same time, many protest supporters were planning to turn out merely to show their high-visibility jackets.

However, the movement has no single leader and is not organized by any trade union.

On Wednesday, the government announced action to help poor families pay their energy and transport bills.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that 5.6 million households would receive energy subsidies. Currently, 3.6 million receive them.

A state scrappage bonus on polluting vehicles would also be doubled for France's poorest families, he said, and fuel tax credits would be brought in for people who depend on their cars for work.

However, President Macron defended the tax on diesel, saying: "We have to tax fossil fuels more in order to fund our investments in renewable."

Meanwhile, as potentially the biggest protest of his presidency gathers steam, protesters mock him relentlessly as "Micron" or "Macaron" (Macaroon) or simply Manu, the short form of Emmanuel, for which he famously scolded a student for using.