Riot police fired small amounts of tear gas to disperse groups of protesters who headed down the side streets off the French capital’s famed Champs…
Riot police fired small amounts of tear gas to disperse groups of protesters who headed down the side streets off the French capital’s famed Champs-Elysees boulevard, some with traffic still flowing.
About 8,000 police and 14 armoured vehicles were deployed in Paris for the demonstration, after similar protests in recent weekends turned violent, with protesters smashing and looting stores and setting up burning barricades in the streets.
Saturday’s protest was far calmer in the morning, with riot police blocking off groups of protesters who attempted to disperse in side streets. At least 21 people were detained in Paris before the protests began, police said.
Some protesters voiced anger at being restricted to a few blocks by police.
“We’re surrounded by CRS,” said protester Lionel Toussaint, 53, who works in the heritage industry, referring to riot police. “I’m not armed. I only have Kleenex.”
The “yellow vest” movement, which takes its name from the fluorescent safety vests French motorists must all have in their vehicles, emerged in mid-November as a protest against fuel tax increases. It soon morphed into an expression of rage about the high cost of living in France and a sense that President Emanuel Macron’s government is detached from the everyday struggles of workers.
