Alwaght- Yellow vest protesters have accused the French government of staging the "terror" attack in Strasbourg to shadow the protests scheduled for the weekend.
In a social media post on Wednesday, yellow vests alleged that the late Tuesday shooting at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was plotted by the French government.
Emphasizing that the attack came a day after the French President Emmanuel Macron's statements on the yellow vest protests and the upcoming demonstrations, the post said the attack couldn't be a mere coincidence.
On Tuesday night, a gunman opened fire at a Christmas market in Place Kleber square before leaving the scene. The French police stated that security forces raided the gunman's house but failed to find him.
Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz said that two people were killed and one left in the vegetative state, while more than a dozen were wounded, with six in critical condition.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, for his part, said that the government has raised its security threat level to "attack emergency," following the attack.
France has raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and bolstered troops around France.
Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have been gathering in major French cities, including the capital Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation.
The demonstrators, who generally live in rural areas due to high rents in the cities, have called on Macron to cut fuel taxes and ease their economic difficulties.
According to a recent survey, 84 percent of the French people -- mostly from the middle-income group -- support the protests. Fuel prices in France have risen more than 20 percent this year.
In a 12-minute TV address on Monday, Macron had promised a minimum wage rise and tax concessions in response to the public outcry over rising fuel tax and cost of living. The defiant president also acknowledged the anger was not just directed at him but had built up for 40 years.
Reacting to the speech, many protesters said the distrust of Macron was now so high that the protests would not stop.
