PROTESTERS RETURN TO PARIS STREETS
Demonstrators, some wielding catapults, throw rocks, barricades and paint at police in full riot gear
Groups of masked protesters battled police through clouds of tear gas near Paris’ Champs Elysees yesterday as thousands took part in a third weekend of “yellow vest” demonstrations, which have morphed from anger over fuel taxes into a broader anti-government movement.
The violence broke out early after crowds began gathering at the Arc de Triomphe, where they found the Champs Elysees on lockdown by police manning barricades and water cannons.
Several dozen protesters were allowed to pass after an ID check and search, but many others, often wearing gas masks or ski goggles, remained behind and fought with police, who responded with rounds of tear gas.
Demonstrators, some wielding catapults, threw rocks, construction barricades and even paint at police in protective gear and helmets, with some officers seen spattered with yellow liquid.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said at least 107 people were arrested in Paris among the estimated 5,500 protesters, with 36,000 people taking part in protests across the country. The protesters include many pensioners and has been active in small urban and rural areas.
Ten people were injured yesterday, including three of the 5,000 police officers mobilised in Paris, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted that “1,500 troublemakers” were around the Champs-Elysees avenue, outside a perimeter secured by police.
Protesters, including some wearing black hoodies, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris on fire.
Banks, wine shops and cafes on surrounding streets raced to cover up windows yesterday, as the acrid odour of tear gas and burning trash filled the air.
Protests around the country were sparked by a surge in fuel prices this year, which demonstrators attribute to tax increases to finance the government’s antipollution efforts.
“With all these tax hikes, there’s not much left for eating at the end of the month,” Philippe, a high school cook in the Essonne region outside Paris, said near the Champs Elysees yesterday.
The protests come a week after violent clashes on the avenue last Saturday, marked by burning barricades and vandalism which
President Emmanuel Macron compared to “war scenes”.
The “yellow vest” movement erupted on social media in October and has since become a wider protest against Macron, who is accused of failing to recognise the rising costs of living.
The first day of protests, on November 17, attracted about 282,000 demonstrators, while some 106,000 turned out last Saturday, including 8,000 in the capital.
Two people have died and hundreds injured in the protests, which opinion polls suggest still attract the support of two out of three French people.
With all these tax hikes, there’s not much left for eating at the end of the month
PHILIPPE, A HIGH SCHOOL COOK