Police Fire Tear Gas at Yellow Vest Protesters in Paris

Police squads snatched more than 250 people out of the crowd for questioning and fired tear gas during violent scenes in Paris on Saturday after the ‘gilets jaunes’, or yellow vests, took to the streets of the capital for the first time since lockdown was lifted in May.

As a result of the demonstrations, at least 256 protesters were taken in for questioning and 90 were also issued warnings. Many weapons were confiscated- penknives, a bow and even a hammer were among the objects seized from those demonstrating, according to Police. Twitter video credit: TruthRaider.

Paris today. pic.twitter.com/KDcl3eO2p1

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Although the yellow vest movement had actually planned four demonstrations on Saturday, the police banned two of them, the Paris police prefecture said in a statement on Friday, the day before. Police chief Didier Lallement described the banned protests as “parades down the Champs-Élysees”  – “We cannot have chaos and destruction on the Champs,” he added.

As a precaution, businesses on the avenue were told by the authorities to shut for four hours on Saturday morning and were advised to “place means of protection in front of their establishments.” Many screwed wooden boards across the front of their cafes and bars after they took all the furniture inside. ETC on Twitter posted a video of a group of masked people vandalising a car.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1304772284696190977

The yellow vest movement began in the fall of 2018 to protest a fuel tax hike that was said to punish the poorest people in the country. Named for the fluorescent vests that motorists are required to carry in France, it morphed into more than a year of weekly anti-government protests that caused multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries. The twitter video below is much more graphic.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1304826729878478849

In its first year, the movement resulted in a 10 billion euro ($11.05 billion) aid package for the poor and led French President Emmanuel Macron to back down in the face of protest, something he had said he would not do. Two years ago the movement blocked the border between France and Spain in a protest over tax hikes.