French protesters clash with police
PARIS — French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Paris on Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and beyond and staged road blockades to vent anger against rising fuel taxes.
Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the eighth day of deadly demonstrations that started as protests against tax but morphed into a rebuke of President Emmanuel Macron and the perceived elitism of France’s ruling class. Two people have been killed in protest-related tragedies.
Tense clashes on the Champs-Élysées that ended by dusk Saturday saw police face off with demonstrators who burned plywood, wielded placards reading “Death to Taxes” and upturned a large vehicle.
At least 19 people, including four police officers, suffered minor injures, and one person was more seriously hurt Saturday in Paris, according to police.
Macron responded in a strongly worded tweet: “Shame on those who attacked [police]. Shame on those who were violent against other citizens … No place for this violence in the Republic.”
Police said dozens of protesters were detained for “throwing projectiles,” among other acts. By nightfall, the Champs-Élysées was smoldering.
The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon — owing to the color of the vests the self-styled “yellow jacket” protesters don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that 8,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Élysées at the demonstration’s peak and there were nearly 106,000 protesters and 130 arrests in total nationwide.
“It’s going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we’re all ready,” said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres.