Violence Returns to France as Yellow Vests Seek New Momentum

Date: 16 March 2019 - 21:32

News ID: ۶۴۳۲۰

PARIS (Dispatches) – French police fired tear gas and arrested dozens on Saturday in clashes with protesters as the yellow vest movement sought to inject new impetus into its four-month old revolt against President Emmanuel Macron and his pro-business reforms.
Protesters threw cobblestones at riot police through clouds of tear gas in front of Paris’ Arc de Triumphed monument, which was ransacked at the peak of the protests in December. Bonfires were started in nearby streets, with at least one car in flames.
Police also used water cannons and had arrested more than 30 protesters by late morning as tensions flared at the top of Paris’ upmarket Champs Elysees avenue, where the windows of a high-end restaurant were smashed.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said thugs looking for trouble had infiltrated the demonstrations and gave the order to respond to "unacceptable attacks with the greatest firmness”.
"Let there be no doubt: they are looking for violence and are there to sow chaos in Paris,” Castaner said in a Tweet.
The protest is one of several planned in the French capital on Saturday, where French climate campaigners are also planning a "March of The Century".
The movement had recently been characterized by politicians and media in France as losing steam, but a large crowd gathered on the Champs-Elysees avenue for the 18th straight week of anti-government protests.
Protesters erected barricades near the Champs-Elysees in scenes reminiscent of some of the most tense rallies, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse them.
The new protests coincided with the end of two months of public debates called by President Emmanuel Macron to take the heat out of the protests.
His hopes, however, were dealt a serious blow with the new protests. The unrest began in November over fuel tax hikes but quickly ballooned into an anti-Macron revolt.
Over 5,000 police were deployed in anticipation of violence after the organizers of Saturday's protest presented it as an "ultimatum" to Macron.
Laurent Casanova, an engineer, said he had come to mark the end of the consultations. "We have been patient but now we want results," he told Agence France-Presse.
The news agency reported a large security cordon thrown up around the Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe war memorial was sacked on December 1 in images which drew parallels with war zones.
Thousands have been arrested and at least ten people have been killed since the protests started in November. Hundreds more have also been wounded.
Named after the high visibility vests French drivers have to keep in their cars and worn by protesters, the revolt quickly swelled into a broader movement against Macron and his reforms.
However, the weekly demonstrations, held every Saturday in Paris and other cities, have been generally getting smaller since December, when Paris saw some of the worst vandalism and looting in decades.
After the spike in violence, Macron offered a package of concessions worth more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion) aimed at boosting the incomes of the poorest workers and most pensioners.
His government ordered police to crack down on the protests in January, leading to complaints of police brutality after a series of injuries.
The 41-year-old former investment banker also launched a series of national debates which are aimed at determining what polices people want the government to focus on.
Saturday’s protests coincide with the end of the debates.

Protesters clash with French riot police during a demonstration by the "Yellow Vests" movement.