Paris engulfed in violence again despite extra security

we looked the other way, and saw the protesters. We got the fright of our lives.’’

The police managed to prevent the mob from looting shops, smashing windows or attacking parked cars, pursuing them through the narrow medieval streets of one of Paris’s oldest and most picturesque quarters.

But other parts of Paris were severely battered by clashes. An estimated 8000 demonstrators marched through the streets on a ‘‘day of rage’’ as the authority of Emmanuel Macron, the president, was challenged by a fourth consecutive weekend of protests across France.

There were an estimated 125,000 protesters across France, with 1385 arrests – a record for a single day in postwar France. More than 700 were detained in Paris alone.

At least 135 people were injured, including three police officers. The emblematic Parisian avenue, the Champs-elysees, was shrouded in tear gas and echoed to the sound of stun grenades as police battled a crowd of more than 1000, who sang the Marseillaise and chanted ‘‘Macron resign’’.

Police demolished burning barricades with armoured vehicles, deployed for the first time in the heart of Paris. Officers fired repeated salvoes of tear gas and water cannon to drive back and disperse protesters. But they regrouped and moved on, sometimes returning to confront the police minutes later.

Some protesters torched parked cars and ripped up chunks of concrete from the street and hurled them at police, but the majority remained relatively peaceful.

Several banners called for ‘‘Frexit now!’’ Many protesters said they wanted a referendum on an exit from the EU. Bertrand Deschamps, 33, a building worker from Nantes, in western France, said: ‘‘The first thing that brought us into the streets was increases in fuel taxes and the high cost of living, but we believe France needs massive change.

‘‘We’re like the Brits who voted for Brexit, we’re the people who the politicians in Paris have never had to listen to before, but they’re going to have to listen now. If not, it’s revolution.’’

Department stores, restaurants and cafes were boarded up or shuttered in the main shopping areas, losing vital Christmas trade. Pitched battles last weekend left shop fronts and cafe windows smashed on the Champs-elysees and in nearby areas.

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and most other museums and tourist attractions also closed.

– The Times Roman Abramovich is among a group of Russian oligarchs to be targeted by British intelligence as part of a sustained campaign to disrupt Vladimir Putin, The Daily Telegraph understands.

A list of six wealthy highprofile Russians has been drawn up by intelligence agencies and submitted to Theresa May.

The prime minister has approved the list and the names of the oligarchs will be circulated across Whitehall departments and shared with the UK’S allies in Europe and in North America in an attempt to disrupt their ability to travel and to maintain their business empires.

It signals a ratcheting up of Britain’s new cold war with the Kremlin following the nerve agent attack on Salisbury in March.

A senior Whitehall security source said: ‘‘The aim of the measures we intend to take is to limit their manoeuvrability and their ability to travel and operate freely in Britain, Europe and elsewhere.

‘‘These individuals have been identified as having an extremely close professional and financial relationship with President Putin. We believe they are involved in doing the Kremlin’s bidding on a whole range of fronts, which includes using their financial muscle on behalf of the Russian state. ‘‘Roman Abramovich is on the list because he is believed to be Putin’s most important financial supporter.’’

The source continued: ‘‘Targeting these individuals will be an important part of the UK Government’s response to the Salisbury attack.’’ Abramovich’s spokesman declined to comment but a source said the Chelsea FC owner was emphatically not in Putin’s inner circle.

The measures are thought to include an attempt to revoke visas, impose travel restrictions and target Uk-based financial and property assets. It follows an announcement by the Home Office this week that it was suspending the ‘‘golden visa’’ scheme that allows wealthy foreigners to acquire British visas. – Telegraph Group