Haitian protesters march to demand lower gasoline prices

Demonstrators burn tires in the street during an anti-government march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. Several thousand protesters marched through Haiti's capital to demand lower gas prices and the ouster of President Michel Martelly. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — At least 6,000 protesters marched through Haiti’s capital Saturday to demand lower gas prices and the ouster of President Michel Martelly.

The protest in Port-au-Prince remained peaceful overall although police briefly threw tear gas and dispersed a crowd that had thrown trash and tires in the street to block traffic.

The protest, which diminished in strength as the afternoon wore on, was the latest in a series of demonstrations over recent weeks fueled by anger over gas prices.

The government recently lowered the price by about 25 cents to $4.50 a gallon and diesel prices dropped by about 20 cents to $3.55, but protesters say the reductions don’t fully reflect the global drop in oil prices.

“The cost of living is too high,” said Joel Pierre, a welder who joined Saturday’s protest instead of going to work.

He said he also would join in a two-day general strike scheduled to start Monday that is aimed at forcing a shutdown of schools, banks and other institutions.

“We need to let the government know that this is serious,” Pierre said.

Bus drivers struck for two days earlier in the week, stranding hundreds of thousands of workers and students.

Protesters also remain angry that President Michel Martelly began ruling by decree last month after parliament was dissolved. Long-delayed elections have not been held.Haiti's new prime minister Evans Paul, behind center, greets a new minister during the inauguration of President Michel Martelly's new Cabinet at the national Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan. 19, 2015. Ministers and secretaries of state were named roughly a week after parliament dissolved amid a bitter stalemate between Martelly and a group of opposition lawmakers. Martelly kept half of his former Cabinet ministers in their posts and made changes in several key ministries, including justice and planning. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Gas Prices Begin To Fall Below $2 A Gallon Near SacramentoIn this Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 photo, a demonstrator uses wood, gas, fire and salt to call forth a spirit to ask for protection, in a voodoo ceremony before the start of a protest demanding the resignation of President Michel Martelly in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The hardline opposition to Martelly has promised a wave of intensified street protests to try and pressure him from office. Martelly took office in 2011 and is due to leave next year. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

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