At
least 100 people have been arrested and 80 injured as French police
clashed with fuel tax protesters Saturday in Paris. Thousands of
people gathered at the Champs-Élysées in the third weekend of protests
against the government over rising fuel prices and taxes. At Paris’
famous monument on the western end of the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de
Triomphe, riot police fired tear gas and a water cannon to displace the
crowd. Some protesters had lit fires, thrown rocks and sprayed police
officers with yellow paint earlier Saturday morning in an effort to
breach the barricades blocking a route to the Elysee Palace, President
Emmanuel Macron‘s official residence. By early evening, 183 people had
been arrested, and some 80 people had been injured in the protests,
including 14 police officers. French interior ministry blamed
extremists for violence at the famous monument, pointing out that around
5,000 peaceful demonstrators, some holding roses, had marched near the
Champs-Élysées. Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe made the distinction
between peaceful demonstrators and the ones breaking the law. “We are
attached to freedom of expression, but also to respect for the law. I am
shocked by the violence of such a symbol of France,” he said, referring
to the clashes around the Arc de Triomphe and graffiti sprayed on it
that read “Yellow Jackets Will Triumph.” Since the protests began on
Nov. 17, hundreds of people have been injured and two people have been
killed in car crashes.100 people arrested, 80 injured as French police class with fuel tax protesters in Paris
At
least 100 people have been arrested and 80 injured as French police
clashed with fuel tax protesters Saturday in Paris. Thousands of
people gathered at the Champs-Élysées in the third weekend of protests
against the government over rising fuel prices and taxes. At Paris’
famous monument on the western end of the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de
Triomphe, riot police fired tear gas and a water cannon to displace the
crowd. Some protesters had lit fires, thrown rocks and sprayed police
officers with yellow paint earlier Saturday morning in an effort to
breach the barricades blocking a route to the Elysee Palace, President
Emmanuel Macron‘s official residence. By early evening, 183 people had
been arrested, and some 80 people had been injured in the protests,
including 14 police officers. French interior ministry blamed
extremists for violence at the famous monument, pointing out that around
5,000 peaceful demonstrators, some holding roses, had marched near the
Champs-Élysées. Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe made the distinction
between peaceful demonstrators and the ones breaking the law. “We are
attached to freedom of expression, but also to respect for the law. I am
shocked by the violence of such a symbol of France,” he said, referring
to the clashes around the Arc de Triomphe and graffiti sprayed on it
that read “Yellow Jackets Will Triumph.” Since the protests began on
Nov. 17, hundreds of people have been injured and two people have been
killed in car crashes.
