‘Yellow vests’ leader held in France over protests

PARIS: One of the leaders of the “yellow vest” anti-government demonstrations was detained by police in Paris for organising an unauthorised protest, signalling a harder line by the authorities against the movement.

Eric Drouet – who already faces a trial for carrying a weapon at a previous protest – was held while heading for the Champs-Elysees, which has been the scene of violent clashes over the last month.

“It’s called respecting the rule of law,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday as he defended the arrest which drew criticism from some leftist opponents of the government.

“It’s normal that when you break the laws of the republic, you face the consequences,” he added.

A few dozen demonstrators had gathered outside a McDonald’s restaurant near France’s famous Arc de Triomphe war monument and had been waiting for Drouet to arrive early on Wednesday evening.

Drouet, a truck driver who appears on television as a spokesman for the “yellow vests”, had called for the demonstration in a video posted on his Facebook page.

The “yellow vest” demonstrations began in rural France in November over fuel taxes and ballooned into a wider revolt against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies and governing style.

The protesters, who have repeatedly flouted laws that require them to declare their demonstrations in advance, have regularly clashed with police in Paris and other cities.

Drouet, who was filmed on Wednesday night being forced into a police vehicle by dozens of police in protective gear, was first arrested last month after he was found carrying a stick at a demonstration.

He faces trial on June 5 for “carrying a prohibited category D weapon”, a judicial source said.

Radical leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, a fierce critic of Macron, tweeted: “Again Eric Drouet arrested, why? Abuse of power. A politicised police targeting and harassing the leaders of the yellow vest movement.”