Fresh Revolt in France, Belgium, Netherlands
‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Spread Across Europe
PARIS (Dispatches) -- Police fired tear gas and arrested hundreds of people in Paris on Saturday as the French capital went on lockdown for the latest "yellow vest" protests against President Emmanuel Macron.
Shouts of "Macron, resign" mingled with the tear gas near the famous Champs-Elysees avenue, the scene last Saturday of the worst rioting in Paris for decades.
A forklift truck driver who gave his name as Denis said he was planning, like others, to march on Macron's presidential palace in anger against a leader who they say only looks out for the rich.
"I'm here for my son," said the 30-year-old, who had travelled down to Paris from the Normandy port of Caen. "I can't let him live in a country where the poor are exploited."
The protests began on November 17 with road blockades against rising fuel prices but have since ballooned into a mass movement against Macron's policies and top-down style of governing.
Coordinated "yellow vest" protests were taking place across the country on Saturday, including on numerous motorways, causing havoc on the national road network.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said 481 people had been detained in Paris as police carried out checks on people arriving at train stations and at protest hotspots such as the Champs-Elysees and Bastille monument.
Shops, museums, the Eiffel Tower and many metro stations were closed, while top-flight football matches and concerts have been cancelled.
Last weekend's violence, which saw some 200 cars torched and the Arc de Triomphe vandalised, shook France and plunged Macron's government into its deepest crisis so far.
"These past three weeks have produced a monster that its creators no longer control," Interior Minister Castaner said on Friday, vowing "zero tolerance" towards those aiming to wreak further destruction.
Philippe said some 89,000 police were being mobilized for protests nationwide, including 8,000 police in Paris, where a dozen armored vehicles were being deployed for the first time in decades.
Foreign governments are watching developments closely in one of the world's most visited cities.
In a warning of impending violence, an MP for Macron's party, Benoit Potterie, received a bullet in the post on Friday with the words: "Next time it will be between your eyes."
Protests at dozens of schools over university reforms, and a call by farmers for demonstrations next week, have added to a sense of general revolt.
The hardline CGT union, hoping to capitalize on the movement, has called for rail and metro strikes next Friday to demand immediate wage and pension increases.
Shouts of "Macron, resign" mingled with the tear gas near the famous Champs-Elysees avenue, the scene last Saturday of the worst rioting in Paris for decades.
A forklift truck driver who gave his name as Denis said he was planning, like others, to march on Macron's presidential palace in anger against a leader who they say only looks out for the rich.
"I'm here for my son," said the 30-year-old, who had travelled down to Paris from the Normandy port of Caen. "I can't let him live in a country where the poor are exploited."
The protests began on November 17 with road blockades against rising fuel prices but have since ballooned into a mass movement against Macron's policies and top-down style of governing.
Coordinated "yellow vest" protests were taking place across the country on Saturday, including on numerous motorways, causing havoc on the national road network.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said 481 people had been detained in Paris as police carried out checks on people arriving at train stations and at protest hotspots such as the Champs-Elysees and Bastille monument.
Shops, museums, the Eiffel Tower and many metro stations were closed, while top-flight football matches and concerts have been cancelled.
Last weekend's violence, which saw some 200 cars torched and the Arc de Triomphe vandalised, shook France and plunged Macron's government into its deepest crisis so far.
"These past three weeks have produced a monster that its creators no longer control," Interior Minister Castaner said on Friday, vowing "zero tolerance" towards those aiming to wreak further destruction.
Philippe said some 89,000 police were being mobilized for protests nationwide, including 8,000 police in Paris, where a dozen armored vehicles were being deployed for the first time in decades.
Foreign governments are watching developments closely in one of the world's most visited cities.
In a warning of impending violence, an MP for Macron's party, Benoit Potterie, received a bullet in the post on Friday with the words: "Next time it will be between your eyes."
Protests at dozens of schools over university reforms, and a call by farmers for demonstrations next week, have added to a sense of general revolt.
The hardline CGT union, hoping to capitalize on the movement, has called for rail and metro strikes next Friday to demand immediate wage and pension increases.