About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2018)
4C Sunday, November 25, 2018 ★ The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL/WORLD French protesters clash with police over fuel tax 4k • • • mm ■ ■. 9 I ft 1 • CHRISTOPHE ENA I Associated Press Plumes of smoke are seen near the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs- Elysees avenue decorated with the Christmas lightings during a protest against tax Saturday, Nov. 24, in Paris. BY THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press PARIS — French police fired tear gas and water cannons to dis perse violent demonstrators in Paris on Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and beyond and staged road blockades to vent anger against rising fuel taxes. Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the eighth day of deadly demonstra tions that started as protests against tax but morphed into a rebuke of President Emmanuel Macron and the perceived elitism of France’s ruling class. Two people have been killed since Nov. 17 in protest- related tragedies. Tense clashes on the Champs- Elysees that ended by dusk Sat urday saw police face off with demonstrators who burned ply wood, wielded placards reading “Death to Taxes” and upturned a large vehicle. At least 19 people, including four police officers, were slightly hurt and one person had more seri ous injuries in the day of unrest in Paris, according to police. Macron responded in a strongly worded tweet: “Shame on those who attacked (police). Shame on those who were violent against other citizens ... No place for this violence in the Republic.” Police said that dozens of pro testers were detained for “throw ing projectiles,” among other acts. By nightfall the Champs-Elysees was smoldering and in the Place de la Madeleine, burned scooters lay on the sidewalk like blackened shells. “It’s going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we’re all ready,” said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres. “They take everything from us. They steal everything from us,” said 21-year-old Laura Cordonnier. The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon — owing to the color of the vests the self-styled “yellow jacket” pro testers don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that 8,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees at the demonstration’s peak and there were nearly 106,000 protesters and 130 arrests in total nationwide. Castaner denounced protest ers from the far-right whom he called “rebellious,” as he accused National Assembly leader Marine Le Pen of encouraging them. But the Interior Ministry played down the scale of Saturday’s dem onstrations by highlighting that up to 280,000 people took part in last Saturday’s protest. The unrest is proving a major challenge for embattled Macron, who’s suffering in the polls. The leader, who swept to power only last year, is the focus of rage for the “yellow jacket” demonstra tors who accuse the pro-business centrist of elitism and indifference to the struggles of ordinary French. Macron has so far held strong and insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments — a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the “energy transition” easier next week. Paris deployed some 3,000 secu rity forces on Saturday, notably around tourist-frequented areas, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential Elysee Palace. Police officials said that a no-go zone, set up around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River, has not been breached. But authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands. The anger is mainly over a hike in the diesel fuel tax, which has gone up seven euro cents per liter (nearly 30 U.S. cents per gallon) and will keep climbing in com ing years, according to Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne. The tax on gasoline is also to increase four euro cents. Gasoline currently costs about 1.64 euros a liter in Paris ($7.06 a gallon), slightly more than diesel. Far left leader Jean-Luc Melen- chon explained to BFMTV the his torical importance of this issue in the Gallic mindset: “When tax is no longer agreed to, it’s the start of revolutions in France.” CENTER ■ Continued from 1C Overlook Recovery’s clinical director Cindy Armstrong. “He models our philosophy, and his enthusiasm, warmth and personal story will help others in their recovery journey.” With an in-house chef cooking three times a day and an activity room hold ing a ping-pong table and cornhole boards, the sum mer-camp feel belies the rigid structure for those in the program. “A typical day consists of study time, group therapy, psychoeducation, struc tured or expressive activi ties, and relapse prevention classes. Individual counsel ing, introduction to self-help groups, recreational activi ties, and appointments with the medical director are also part of the schedule,” according to the treatment center’s website. And of course, no cell phones. Nix said the strategy is letting go of dis tractions and learning again how to disconnect and have fun. Nix recalled his teenage years spent trying to keep up with his peers. “I was creating an iden tity crisis with myself, and I never could meet the mark. That’s where a lot of my insecurities came into play, because I had this vision of what I thought things should be ... which is what I saw online,” he said. Regarding the choice for only boys, Nix said the statistics show male ado lescents reporting a higher rate of substance abuse than their female counterparts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations published survey results in 2015 show ing 10.7 percent of boys 12 and up reported substance dependence or abuse com pared to 5.7 percent of girls in that age range. “We recognize that there is not a lot of female ado lescent resources, so that’s why we’re trying to make the steps moving forward to be able to provide that resource for the female population,” Nix said. The intended length of stay is between four to six weeks, though it is on an individual basis. The ideal ratio, Nix said, for counselor to adolescents is 1:8. Most of the participants will be in rooms for two to avoid a feeling of isolation, while the staff has heavy security and monitoring Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times A classroom is available at Eagle Overlook Recovery for Adolescents in Dahlonega on Thursday, Nov. 15. Eagle Overlook Recovery for Adolescents is a new treatment center in Dahlonega. CHALLENGE ■ Continued from 1C permit a reliable determination of the vote count.” Georgia’s election practices have been challenged repeatedly in court this year. Democrat Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor, has promised to file a federal lawsuit over the way Georgia elections are run. She accused Brian Kemp, the state’s new governor, of using his then-secretary of state’s office to aggressively purge the rolls of inactive voters, enforce an “exact match” policy for check ing voters’ identities that left thou sands of registrations in limbo, and enact other policies to tilt the out come in his favor. The claims in the election con test filed Friday reflect many of the issues raised in the Curling v. Kemp lawsuit regarding Georgia’s flawed electronic voting system. The Coali tion for Good Governance also orga nized that 2017 lawsuit now pending in federal court. The Secretary of State and the State Election Board have appealed the case, which is expected to be tried in 2019. “Georgia voters must not be forced to accept election outcomes that cannot be verified and in which they have no confidence. The anom alies in this race, combined with the thousands of voters’ complaints of malfunctioning machines, erroneous voter registration files, improperly rejected ballots, and irregularities in vote counts, cast tremendous doubt on the election,” said Marilyn Marks, executive director of Coalition for Good Governance. “Every Georgia voter deserves to have confidence her vote is counted as cast,” said Morgan County voter and plaintiff Jeanne Dufort. “Our Secretary of State and election offi cials are supposed to guard that trust — instead, the people of Geor gia have had to rely on the courts to make sure our elections are fair and secure. We demand better. It’s time for voter-verified paper trails with postelection audits and secure, accu rate voter rolls. ”We demand better. It’s time for voter-verified paper trails with postelection audits and secure, accurate voter rolls. ” procedures in place. Though the participants do take part in some activi ties away from the secluded center, the property also offers hiking trails leading up to the Chestatee River. “I’ll speak for myself and a lot of adolescents that I’ve come into contact with. For me, recovery had to be attractive in the beginning. I had to gather enough infor mation and I had to be able to see that recovery worked well for you. 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