French police use tear gas against protesters in central Paris
Police fired tear gas canisters at "yellow vest" protesters in central Paris on Saturday during a demonstration against the high cost of living. A police spokeswoman told reporters there were about 1,500 protesters on the Champs Elysees and authorities said hundreds of demonstrators had been placed under arrest after police found weapons such as hammers, baseball bats and metal petanque balls on them.
- World
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 12:00 | 08 December 2018
- Modified Date: 06:59 | 08 December 2018
Protesters threw flares and other projectiles and set fires but were repeatedly pushed back by tear gas and water cannon. By mid-afternoon, more than 700 people had been stopped and questioned, and more than 400 were being held in custody, according to a Paris police spokeswoman.
Despite the repeated skirmishes, Saturday's anti-government protests appeared less chaotic and violent than a week ago, when crowds defaced the Arc de Triomphe, set vehicles ablaze and looted high-end stores in the city's worst rioting since 1968.
Prized Paris monuments and normally bustling shopping meccas were locked down Saturday at the height of the holiday shopping season. The Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were among the many tourist attractions that closed for the day, fearing damages amid a new round of protests. Subway stations in the center of town were shut down.
The yellow vest movement — named after the fluorescent outerwear French drivers must keep in their vehicles — started as a protest against higher taxes for diesel and gas, but quickly expanded to encompass wide frustration at stagnant incomes, the rising cost of living and other grievances.
Macron on Wednesday agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike, which aimed to wean France off fossil fuels and uphold the Paris climate agreement, but that hasn't defused the anger.
After two weekends of violence in Paris that made the authorities look powerless, police went into overdrive Saturday to keep a lid on unrest. Police frisked people or searched bags throughout central Paris, and confiscated gas masks and protective goggles from AP journalists.