PARIS — Yellow vest protesters occupied dozens of traffic roundabouts across France on Sunday even as their movement for economic justice appeared to be losing momentum on the fifth straight weekend of protests.

The road blockades remained despite a call by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to free the roundabouts from the traffic chaos created by the protests. Eight people have died in incidents tied to the yellow vest movement, mostly from traffic accidents linked to roads blocked by protesters.

The demonstrators are demanding more measures to help France’s workers and retirees and want top officials in President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government to resign, including Macron himself.

Despite the cold weather, protesters occupying a roundabout near the southern city of Orange close to a major highway pledged to keep holding more demonstrations, including blocking fuel depots.

“Mr. Castaner, if you want us to clear roundabouts, you will need to offer your resignation. We don’t need bandits of your kind,” a protester identified as Nicolas told the BFM TV channel.

Some yellow vest protesters – whose movement takes its name from the safety garb that all French motorists must carry – set up a small fire with wooden planks and held a barbecue at a roundabout near the city of Reims in the Champagne region. Some of them wore Santa hats and deployed a banner that read “Revolution 2018.”


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