That’s according to figures given by the French mayor’s association (Association des maires de France) to Bruno Le Maire, the French finance and economy minister, last week.

The figures were reported by the French financial newspaper Les Échos on 13 February.

Since November 2018, the Gilets jaunes have marched in several cities, towns and rural areas on Saturdays to protest the policies of the French president Emmanuel Macron and socio-economic inequality.

Mayors told Le Maire that the demonstrations have led to a decrease in footfall at shops (and thus tax revenue), damage to street fixtures and public buildings (“which are not always covered by insurance,” Les Échos noted), overtime pay for cleanup crews (who work overnight each weekend), and lost fares from cancelled public transport.

The association has calculated the losses to be at least €30m for the country’s larger local councils. This includes €15m for the City of Paris, €4m in Toulouse, €2m in Bordeaux and €700,000 in Dijon.

Le Maire did not commit to the mayors’ request for reimbursement from the national treasury.