‘Yellow vests’ united only in hatred of Macron fight vicious street battles
A VICIOUS street brawl between rival “yellow vest” factions has highlighted bitter divisions among the anti-government protesters as the speaker of the national assembly warned of a culture of violence engulfing French politics.
Dozens of far-right supporters and ultra-leftists taking part in “yellow vest” protests fought with fists, rocks and sticks in the eastern city of Lyon on Saturday night.
The violence was seen as further evidence of widening splits within the leaderless grassroots movement.
The protesters are united only in their opposition to Emmanuel Macron, the president, and often make radically different demands of his government.
Clashes with police erupted across France, with protesters torching cars and smashing the windows of shops and banks. In Montpellier, in the south, a 12-year-old boy was detained for allegedly aiming a catapult at police HQ.
An amateur photographer had four fingers blown off in Paris, reportedly by a stun grenade thrown by police to deter protesters trying to break through barriers protecting the gates of the national assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
Richard Ferrand, the speaker, said an arson attack on his constituency home in Brittany on Friday was an example of “intimidation” of MPS.
He said more than 60 MPS have received threats or had their homes or offices vandalised since the start of the revolt in November, an unprecedented number in post-war France. Some have been given police protection.
Mr Ferrand, a close ally of the president, published pictures on Twitter of his scorched living room, saying police had found a blanket soaked in fuel.
He wrote: “Nothing justifies violence or intimidation against an elected official. This is not a sign of perfect democratic health”.
The speaker received support from across the political spectrum, including from Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, and Jean-luc Mélenchon, head of the main far-left party.
Anarchists and supporters of extremist groups on the Right and Left often join the “yellow vest” protests, along with troublemakers, known as casseurs, intent on causing as much damage as possible.
About 55,000 gilets jaunes (yellow vests) joined the protests on Saturday, with more than 5,000 in Paris. The numbers have dwindled over the weeks, with some put off by violence and attacks on public monuments.