French ‘yellow vests’ defy Macron again in tense protests
- About 69,000 people took to the streets in 11th consecutive weekend of action against the government
Thousands of “yellow vest” demonstrators marched in Paris and other French cities on Saturday in protests that brought sporadic clashes with police and suggested that President Emmanuel Macron has yet to defuse public discontent.
On the 11th consecutive weekend of action against the government, 69,000 people took to the streets, including 4,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said, down from an estimated 84,000 demonstrators across the country last Saturday.
Marches were mostly peaceful but there were incidents in several towns, including in the capital, where an eye injury to a well-known “yellow vest” activist added to recent controversy over police violence.
The protesters – who wear the fluorescent jackets French motorists are required to carry in their cars – came out onto the streets in November to oppose a planned fuel tax rise. Their movement then developed into a broader revolt against the government that mobilised tens of thousands each weekend.
In Paris, several processions crossed the capital, with one descending the famous Champs-Elysees avenue that has been the scene of protests every weekend, before converging in Bastille square.