Protesters hit streets during 15th weekend of ‘yellow vest’ rallies

PARIS — “Yellow vest” protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for a 15th straight weekend of demonstrations, trying to re-energize supporters while tamping down on the violence and antiSemitism in the movement’s ranks.

Hundreds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris for a march to protest government policies they see as favoring the rich. It was among many rallies planned around Paris and in other cities.

Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue. Online announcements for Saturday’s marches appealed for peaceful action.

The extremist views of some protesters erupted in a torrent of anti-Semitic insults hurled at noted philosopher Alain Finkielkraut on the sidelines of last weekend’s Paris protest. The assault came days after the French government reported a huge rise in incidents of anti-Semitism last year.

Local authorities in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand urged residents to avoid coming downtown, where 2,500 yellow vest protesters clashed with police forces. The prefecture said police arrested 15 people.

The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.

The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader public rejection of French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.