French police fire tear gas as 'yellow vest' protesters loot Paris stores amid fresh clashes
- A Boss menswear store and the gourmet Fouquet’s restaurant were vandalised as protesters threw stones at police
Demonstrators looted stores on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Saturday, on the 18th week of “yellow vest” protests, characterised by an uptick in violence after dwindling participation in recent weeks.
A Boss menswear store and the gourmet Fouquet’s restaurant were among the premises vandalised as groups of masked protesters threw stones at police defending the Arc de Triomphe war memorial.
The police responded with tear gas and water cannon but failed to disperse the more radical protesters, who erected burning barricades in scenes reminiscent of the worst “yellow vest” riots in the capital in December.
The protesters have dismissed the debates as a smokescreen.
Saturday’s turnout will be seen as a measure of the power of the “yellow vest” movement, which began in November over fuel tax hikes but quickly ballooned into a broader anti-government rebellion.
Thousands of people converged on the Champs-Elysees - focal point of the Paris protests over the past four months - for “Act XVIII” of a movement, which had appeared to be running out of steam but whose core demands still enjoy broad public support.
