Paris Protest by Restaurateurs a Real Food Fight
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PARIS — French chefs and restaurant owners protesting high taxes pelted surprised riot police here with eggs and flour Monday, prompting the officers to respond with tear gas to keep them away from the National Assembly.
Hundreds of protesters, many wearing chef’s hats and banging pots, converged on the parliament to demand that the 20.6% value-added tax on restaurants be cut to the 5.5% rate that fast-food establishments such as McDonald’s enjoy.
The chefs and restaurant owners want to see their demands reflected in the French budget for 2000, which is to be debated in parliament starting next Tuesday.
When police with helmets and shields blocked their way, the marchers fought back with eggs and flour. They later tried to march through the Latin Quarter but were blocked by more police.
The protest was the latest flare-up involving McDonald’s, which has become a target for farmers angry with U.S. trade sanctions in a feud over U.S. hormone-treated beef.
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