7 Policemen Injured in Clash With 'Yellow Vest' Protesters in France - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A total of seven police officers were injured in northern France in the early hours of Saturday as "yellow vest" fuel tax protesters attacked them, the BFMTV channel reported.

The broadcaster reported that on the night into Saturday, around 2:30 a.m. local time (01:30 GMT), a group of protesters attacked a police patrol in Henin-Beaumont, a commune located in the French department of Pas-des-Calais.

The attackers turned a car upside down and then ignited it. As police and firefighters arrived at the location, a clash began, in which seven police officers suffered minor injuries.

On November 17, mass protests, named "yellow vest" after the obligatory attribute of French drivers — a yellow light-reflective vest — hit Paris, and have since then escalated into large-scale violent protests across France and its overseas territories, while they initially were supposed to be just a one-day event.

READ MORE: Fuel Prices Hike Mere Pretext for French Revolt Against Taxes — Activist

The activists are protesting against the planned hike in gasoline and diesel prices. While the diesel prices in France have risen by around 23 percent since the beginning of the year, and the gasoline prices have gone up by 15 percent, prices are set to increase further in January.