Violent clashes engulf Paris in new anti-Macron protests

A man throws a stone next to the broken windows of the Musee de l'Orangerie (L) and a burning vehicle (right), on the Tuileries Garden, during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs, in Paris on December 1, 2018. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Authorities said at least 287 people were arrested in Paris and 110 injured, including 17 of the 5,000 police officers mobilised for the protests.

  • Chantal, a 61-year-old pensioner, said she was avoiding the "hooligans" but was determined to send Macron a message on the rising costs of living.

PARIS, 

Anti-government protesters torched dozens of cars and set fire to storefronts during daylong clashes with riot police across central Paris on Saturday, as thousands took part in fresh "yellow vest" protests against high fuel taxes.

Officers responded with tear gas after being targeted by protesters hurling rocks and other projectiles on the third weekend of demonstrations which have morphed into a broader rebuke of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Smoke engulfed several shopping districts as the violence spread from the Arc de Triomphe, where crowds had gathered earlier hoping to march down the Champs-Elysees.

While several dozens were allowed into the avenue after an ID check and search, many others — some wearing gas masks or ski goggles — remained behind and fought police manning barricades and water cannons.

Riot police detain a protester during clashes with Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) protesters demonstrating against rising oil prices and living costs, on December 1, 2018 in Paris. PHOTO | ABDULMONAM EASSA | AFP

'INCREDIBLY SHOCKING'

Protesters then led police on cat-and-mouse chases through other parts of the capital, setting cars and construction equipment alight and smashing windows.

An assault rifle was stolen from a police vehicle, a source told AFP, though it was unclear if it was loaded.

One person was in a critical condition after protesters pulled down one of the huge iron gates of the Tuileries garden facing the famed Louvre museum, crushing several people.

"Those responsible for this violence don't want change or improvement, they want chaos," President Emmanuel Macron said in Buenos Aires where he was attending the G20 summit.

Demonstrators wearing Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes), stand next to a burning vehicle, on the Tuileries Garden, in front of the Musee de l'Orangerie, during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs, in Paris on December 1, 2018. PHOTO | AFP

Macron added that he had convened a meeting with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and other top officials in Paris on Sunday after his return from Argentina.

"No cause justifies that authorities are attacked, that businesses are plundered, that passers-by or journalists are threatened or that the Arc de Triomphe is defiled," he said.

Philippe said the violence was "incredibly shocking" during a visit evening to a police barracks on Saturday evening.

Authorities said at least 287 people were arrested in Paris and 110 injured, including 17 of the 5,000 police officers mobilised for the protests.

Nearly 190 fires were put out and six buildings were set alight, the interior ministry said.

Riot police stand guard near the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs, on December 1, 2018. PHOTO | ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI | AFP

WIDESPREAD ANGER

An estimated 75,000 demonstrators, most of them peaceful, were counted across the country in the afternoon, the interior ministry said.

The number was well below the first day of protests on November 17, which attracted around 282,000 people, and also down from the 106,000 who turned out last Saturday.

Acrid plumes of smoke and tear gas, however, were testament to the escalation in violence in Paris, to the consternation of many of the "yellow vests", so-called for the high-visibility jackets they wear.

Along the opulent Avenue Foch near the Arc de Triomphe, home to embassies and luxury residences, protesters ripped out benches to form a blockade, one person waving a skull-and-bones pirate flag.

French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) flanked by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner (2nd right), Paris police prefect Michel Delpuech (right) and French Junior Minister attached to the Interior Ministry Laurent Nunez (left) walks in a street of Paris on December 2, 2018, a day after clashes during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs. PHOTO | VAN DER HASSELT | AFP

Interior Minister Castaner attributed the violence to "specialists in sowing conflict, specialists in destruction".

He did not rule out imposing a state of emergency -- a demand made by the police union Alliance -- declaring: "Nothing is taboo for me. I am prepared to examine everything."

"We're a peaceful movement, but we're disorganised -- it's a mess because we don't have a leader," said Dan Lodi, a 68-year-old pensioner on the Champs-Elysees.

"You always have some idiots who come to fight, but they don't represent us at all."

Demonstrators clash with riot police at the Arc de Triomphe during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs, on December 1, 2018 in Paris. PHOTO | ABDULMONAM EASSA | AFP

'WAR SCENES'

Stores and restaurants along the Champs-Elysees as well as surrounding streets had boarded up windows, anticipating a repeat of the clashes last Saturday which Macron compared to "war scenes".

Chantal, a 61-year-old pensioner, said she was avoiding the "hooligans" but was determined to send Macron a message on the rising costs of living.

"He has to come down off his pedestal," she said under rain in the Champs-Elysees. "Every month I have to dip into my savings."

The "yellow vest" movement erupted on social media in October and has since become a wider protest against Macron, who is accused of failing to recognise the rising cost of living that has left many struggling.

Protesters walk by burning cars during clashes with riot police on the sideline of a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs, on December 1, 2018 in Paris. PHOTO | ABDULMONAM EASSA | AFP

The countrywide protests have included many pensioners and have been most active in small urban and rural areas where demonstrators blocked roads, closed motorway toll booths, and even walled up the entrance to tax offices.

Two people have died and dozens have been injured in the rallies, which opinion polls suggest still attract the support of two out of three French people.

Attempts by the government to negotiate with the grassroots movement have failed, in large part because representatives have insisted on public talks broadcast on TV.

Macron has sought to douse the anger by promising three months of nationwide talks on how best to transform France into a low-carbon economy without penalising the poor.

He also vowed to slow the rate of increase in fuel taxes if international oil prices rise too rapidly but only after a tax hike due in January.