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Police, protesters clash in Paris

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The yellow vest crowd, united by its belief that President Emmanuel Macron and his government are out of touch, tore through Parisian neighborhoods.
PARIS — The rumble of armored police trucks and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris on Saturday, as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters venting their anger against the government in a movement that has grown more violent by the week.
A ring of steel surrounded the president’s Elysee Palace – a key destination for the protesters – as police stationed trucks and reinforced metal barriers throughout the neighborhood.
Saturday’s yellow vest crowd was overwhelmingly male, a mix of those bringing their financial grievances to Paris – the center of France’s government, economy and culture – along with groups of apparently experienced vandals, who tore steadily through some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, smashing and burning.
Police and protesters also clashed in the southern French cities of Marseille and Toulouse.
The government’s plan was to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 2 rioting that damaged the Arc de Triomphe, injured 130 people and tarnished the country’s global image. But although Saturday’s protest in the French capital started out quietly, by late afternoon at least 551 people had been taken into custody and 60 people had been injured, according to Paris police and hospitals.

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