Crowds of yellow-vested protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron and France’s high taxes have tried to march on the presidential palace, surrounded by exceptional numbers of police bracing for outbreaks of violence.
Crowds of yellow-vested protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron and France’s high taxes tried to march on the presidential palace Saturday, surrounded by exceptional numbers of police bracing for outbreaks of violence after the worst rioting in Paris in decades.
Rows of helmeted, thickly protected riot police blocked the demonstrators’ passage down the Champs-Elysees avenue toward the heart of presidential power. A ring of steel surrounded the Elysee Palace itself as police stationed trucks and reinforced steel barriers in streets throughout the entire neighborhood.
Prized Paris monuments and normally bustling shopping meccas locked down and tens of thousands of police took position around France. Macron’s government warned that Saturday’s «yellow vest» protests in Paris will be hijacked by «radicalized and rebellious» crowds and become the most dangerous yet after three weeks of demonstrations.
The Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were among those that remained closed, fearing damage after rioting and looting last Saturday that saw 130 people injured.
Demonstrators waving French flags and wearing the movement’s signature neon vests gathered before dawn Saturday near the Arc de Triomphe, which was damaged in last week’s rioting.
