Police fire tear gas as latest 'yellow vest' protests turn violent

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Europe

01:06

French police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who threw projectiles and set bins on fire in Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux on Saturday, as the 14th straight weekend of "yellow vest" protests took a violent turn in the afternoon.

In Rouen in the north, four people were injured after a driver tried to force his way through a crowd of protesters, authorities said.

Demonstrators gathered peacefully earlier in the day at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, a flashpoint of clashes with the police in the early days of the protests, before marching toward the Eiffel Tower.

Later in the afternoon, police and hooded protesters clashed at the Esplanade des Invalides in central Paris where the march was expected to end, forcing some into adjoining streets where some skirmishes were reported.

The number of protesters have fallen from highs of over 300,000 nationwide in November to over 51,000 last week, according to government estimates.

A yellow vest protestor walks past burning waste in Bordeaux, February 16, 2019. /VCG Photo

Violence has marred nearly every large-scale rally

In Paris, where 4,000 gathered last week, clashes broke out outside the National Assembly building where one demonstrator was reported to lose a hand as he tried to bat away a stun grenade.

Masked activists tried to break down barriers protecting the parliament but were repelled by police firing tear gas and grenades.

Protesters have damaged about 550 shops in the capital since mid-November.

Thousands of protesters also turned out in the southern cities of Marseille, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Toulouse, which are strongholds of the movement, as well as several cities in the north and west of France.

A protester wears a yellow vest at a CGT labor union demonstration to protest against the French government's reforms in Paris, December 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

Starting as a protest against rising fuel taxes, the "yellow vest" movement has become one of the oppositions to President Emmanuel Macron's policies.

Speaking at a meeting with local mayors on Thursday, Macron said it was time for a "return to reason," adding that authorities would act with "greater firmness" against violent demonstrators.

The interior ministry said 1,796 people have been sentenced for rioting or other acts of violence over the past three months, while 1,422 more are awaiting trial.

56 percent want protests to stop

An Elabe opinion poll published Wednesday said 56 percent of French people now wanted the protests to stop, which is 11 points higher than a month ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron stands near a man who wears a yellow vest as he attends a meeting with local residents in Bourg-de-Peage near Valence, January 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

And while 58 percent of people still backed or had sympathy for the protesters, the percentage was five points lower than two weeks ago and nine points below the level in early January.

Two out of three people thought the recurring Saturday rallies were no longer in keeping with what "yellow vests" originally stood for.

Macron has pledged 10 billion euros (11.2 billion U.S. dollars) in response to anger over the high cost of living, including tax cuts for some pensioners and measures to boost low wages.

It was not known how many people might turn out for protests over the weekend as social media messaging has alternately called for blocking the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris Saturday, or marching down the Champs-Elysees avenue on Sunday.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters