At least 179 people were injured and more than 1,300 taken into custody all over France after “yellow vest” protestors clashed with the police for the fourth straight weekend on Saturday, AFP reported. According to Parisian hospital authorities, none of the injuries were serious.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that 1,25,000 protestors demonstrated across the country and the police detained 1,385 of them. At least 10,000 protestors demonstrated in Paris against government policies seen to be favouring the rich. Police in Paris fired rubber bullets and tear gas as looters smashed shop windows and set cars on fire, with armoured cars deployed in the capital for the first time. Demonstrations were also reported in Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Grenoble.
At least 17 police officers were injured in the violence.
The “gilet jaunes”, or “yellow vest” protests, named after the fluorescent jackets stored in all vehicles in France, began on November 17 against rising fuel taxes and high cost of living. The protests intensified last weekend, when several people in fluorescent yellow jackets and masked faces rioted on the streets of Paris, setting dozens of vehicles and buildings on fire.
“Dozens of shopkeepers have fallen victim to hooligans,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted. “Once again, this is deplorable.”
The central part of Paris remained under a virtual lockdown, with shops, museums, the Eiffel Tower and metro stations closed. Football matches and concerts were cancelled. Several streets were closed for traffic.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Saturday called for fresh dialogue with representatives of the “gilet jaunes” movement and promised the government would address their concerns over increasing costs of living.
“The dialogue has begun and it must continue,” Philippe said in a televised statement. “The president [Emmanuel Macron] will speak, and will propose measures that will feed this dialogue.”
Protests in Belgium
Around 70 people were arrested on Saturday in the Belgian capital of Brussels during similar “yellow vest” protests. As a precautionary measure, the police cordoned off the area housing European institutions, including the offices of the European Commission and the European Parliament, and denied access to both vehicles and pedestrians.
“There have been around 70 arrests following checks carried out as a preventive measure,” Brussels Police spokesperson Ilse Van De Keere said.
Although protestors gathered in Arts Lois and Porte de Namur district of the capital, no incidents of violence were reported.
Trump attacks Paris accord amid protests
United States President Donald Trump on Saturday hinted that the protests across France were triggered by public anger over higher fuel taxes with the Paris climate agreement.
“Very sad day & night in Paris,” he tweeted. “Maybe it’s time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes?”
Last week, he had described the Paris accord as “fatally flawed”. Trump in January 2017 had pulled the US out of the agreement, which attempts to bring down global temperatures.
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