Saturday, March 16, 2019

Yellow Vests Clash With French Police: Violence Escalates


Chaos Breaks Out As Yellow Vests Clash With French Police


Update: Saturday's Yellow Vest protests have escalated in intensity as clashes with the police grew increasingly violent. Take a look: 

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After weeks of more moderate protests, France's Yellow Vests are back in full swing following the end of President Macron's unsuccessful 'great debate' - during which thousands of town halls were conducted over a two-month period in the hopes of solving national issues through citizen debates. 



Up to half-a-million people participated in 10,000 meetings across the country to discuss social issues ranging from taxes - which the French pay the most of any OECD country in the world, to democracy and climate change. 
"We have been patient but now we want results," Yellow Vest Laurent Casanova told AFP.
And with no meaningful changes after nationwide cathartic venting, the Yellow Vests are back to angry demonstrations as the protests kick off their 18th week with an 'ultimatum' rally - marked by lootings, fires, and mayhem that organizers maintain are due to a radical minority.

Violence broke out on the Champs-Elysees Paris, where Paris riot police clashed with protesters, using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. 








Clashes between Yellow Vest demonstrators and police broke out as rallies intensified on the 18th consecutive weekend of protests. President Emmanuel Macron’s “grand debate” aimed at pacifying the protests ended on Friday.
Saturday’s rally saw thousands of people flooding the streets of downtown Paris, with many wearing black balaclavas and holding French flags. 
Violence erupted on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, where protesters congregated to take part in the weekly march which began in November. According to the Associated Press, Paris mobilized more police than in previous weeks in an attempt to stave off unrest. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested by Saturday evening.

"From 7,000 to 8,000 people are currently rallying in Paris, and out of them around 1,500 people are ultraviolent, and they have come to destroy and to attack," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told broadcaster BFMTV. The Interior Ministry later upped the turnout to 10,000 protesters in Paris and 14,500 nationwide.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, some of whom were carrying firecrackers.

The area around the iconic landmark was quickly enveloped in smoke. Some protesters tried to erect barricades to block streets around the Place Charles de Gaulle, prompting police to respond with crowd control measures.

AP reported that at least one car was set ablaze by demonstrators. The demonstration broke out into a riot, with some protesters looting stores on Champs-Elysees, according to reports.

Video taken at the scene shows cafes and shops with smashed windows and broken furniture, as police stand guard in the street. The Yellow Vests have been quick to distance themselves from looters, claiming that the vandalism is carried out by a radical minority.



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