Police fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon in battles with « yellow vest » protesters around the Champs Elysees in Paris on Saturday and clashes erupted in other cities across France in a third weekend of demonstrations against high living costs.
PARIS (Reuters) – Police fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon in battles with “yellow vest” protesters around the Champs Elysees in Paris on Saturday and clashes erupted in other cities across France in a third weekend of demonstrations against high living costs.
Police said 129 people had been arrested amid concerns that violent far-right and far-left groups were infiltrating the “yellow vests” movement, a spontaneous grassroots rebellion over the struggle of many in France to make ends meet.
For more than two weeks, the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests) have blocked roads in protests across France, posing one of the largest and most sustained challenges Emmanuel Macron has faced in his 18-month-old presidency.
In Paris, masked and hooded protesters picked up and hurled crowd barriers and other projectiles in running battles with police around the world famous Champs Elysees boulevard and beyond into other parts of the capital’s central tourism districts.
Six policemen and 14 protesters have been injured, Paris police said.
“We are attached to dialogue, but also the respect for the law,” Edouard Philippe told reporters. “I am shocked by the attacks on the symbols of France.
