Nicolas Sarkozy Orders Break-up of Blockades as French Protests Continue

Nicolas Sarkozy today ordered French police to break up oil depot blockades in an attempt to calm fears over petrol shortages as strikes over pension reform continued.

Police moved in to dismantle barricades at several key depots early in the morning, including sites at Le Mans, La Rochelle and Dinge, but some strikers resumed picketing in the afternoon. A handful of depots remained blocked this afternoon.

With panic buying taking place in the run-up to the half-term holiday, the government said nearly a third of petrol stations were empty or running short. Fuel imports hit a record high as the government sought to circumvent the 24-day blockade of France's largest oil port near Marseille, where 51 tankers waited in the Mediterranean, unable to dock.

The French president refused to back down on his reform of the pensions system, and vowed to crack down on those who "sought to paralyse the country", warning that strikers would damage France's economy.'

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