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French Yellow-Vest Protests Continue for 19th Straight Weekend, With Clashes and Troop Deployment

March 25, 2019

 

French policemen attack Yellow-vest protesters in Paris, March 23, 2019	Yellow-vest protest in front of Sacré Coeur basilica in Montmartre, March 23, 2019 fr24

 

Sporadic clashes as Yellow Vests march to Montmartre for 'Act 19' of protests

Date created : 23/03/2019 - 22:14Latest update : 24/03/2019 - 19:13

Geoffroy van der Hasselt, AFP | FRANCE 24  

Yellow Vest protesters clashed sporadically with French police firing tear gas on Saturday during a mostly peaceful march through Paris to the Sacré Coeur basilica in Montmartre.

Scattered Yellow Vest protesters clashed with French police firing tear gas Saturday after a peaceful march through Paris, but tougher security measures and protest bans in high-risk neighbourhoods prevented the kind of rioting that devastated the capital a week ago.

"Protesters were clever in that they ensured it was more peaceful this week after what the government said, in terms of police and army deployment," Alexis Poulin, co-founder of Le Monde Moderne (The Modern World) website, told FRANCE 24.

"Furthermore, the anarchists (who were at the heart of the violence last week) stayed away."

The Yellow Vests saw a drop in overall support after restaurants, shops and banks were attacked and set alight last weekend by some extreme elements within the movement.

Peaceful march

Thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully through Paris – their 19th straight weekend of protests – ending up at the Sacré-Coeur Cathedral overlooking the city from the historic Montmartre neighbourhood.

Haxie Meyers-Belkin reports from Montmartre

Protesters set off yellow flares and unfurled a neon banner from atop the cathedral's white dome. In a relaxed mood, demonstrators and tourists alike took selfies as the march wound down.

Later, however, tensions erupted as small clusters of masked protesters set garbage cans on fire and threw projectiles as they moved toward République Plaza in eastern Paris. Helmeted riot police fired volleys of tear gas in response.

'Macron favours elite'

The Yellow Vest protesters want more help for struggling French workers and retirees and say President Emmanuel Macron favours the elite.

A police officer on the plaza suffered a heart problem, slumping to the ground before being hospitalised in what Paris police described as a "very serious" condition. Associated Press journalists at the scene saw no violence or incidents nearby when he collapsed.

At least 2,000 people have been injured in protest violence since the Yellow Vest movement began in November, and 11 people have been killed in protest-related road accidents.

Elsewhere in France on Saturday, small groups of demonstrators and police clashed in the southern French cities of Nice and Montpellier. Nice was placed under high security measures as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to stay overnight on Sunday as part of his state visit to France.

Overall though, Saturday's protests were calmer than a week ago, when resurgent violence reminded France's government that they've failed to quell Yellow Vest anger. Luxury shops were looted and ransacked around Champs-Élysées Avenue in Paris and some were set on fire by protesters.

This week, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner estimated that 40,500 people took part in protests around France, up from 32,300 a week ago. This week's protests were more spread out, with just 5,000 estimated in Paris compared to 10,000 last Saturday.

233 arrests

Some 233 people were arrested, including people trying to come to Paris to protest with baseball bats, slingshots and other potential weapons, Castaner said.

French authorities banned protests from Champs-Élysées Avenue in Paris and the central neighbourhoods of several other cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice in the south, and Rouen in western France.

The Champs-Élysées was almost empty on Saturday except for a huge police presence. Fear of more violence kept tourists away, and police shut down the subway stations surrounding the famed avenue as a precaution.

The new Paris police chief, Didier Lallement, who took charge this week following the destruction wrought by last week's protests, said specific police units were created to react faster to any violence.

Soldiers deployed to sensitive sites

About 6,000 police officers were deployed in the capital Saturday and two drones helped monitor the demonstrations. French authorities also deployed soldiers to protect sensitive sites, allowing police to focus on maintaining order.

That decision prompted criticism from opposition leaders and some protesters.

"Since when do soldiers face a population? We are here in France. You would say that we are here in [North] Korea or in China. I never saw something like this," said Christelle Camus, a protester from a southern suburb of Paris.

Polls suggest last week's violence dampened public support for the Yellow Vests, but that a majority of French people still agree with the protesters' anger over the French tax system and Macron's leadership.

Saturday's marchers held signs demanding more say for citizens in public policy.

"We come to protest in a calm manner. We have the right to express ourselves, to say that we want to live [decently]," said Céline Dutry, who came to Paris to protest from the northern city of Amiens, Macron's hometown. "We are not jealous of the rich."

The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader rejection of Macron's economic policies, which protesters say favour businesses and the wealthy over ordinary French workers. Macron countered by dropping the fuel tax hike and holding months of discussions with the public on France's stagnant wages, high taxes and high unemployment.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

https://www.france24.com/en/20190323-yellow-vests-act-19-march-montmartre-sacre-coeur-paris-france

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Yellow vest protests: Injured protester's family to press charges

BBC, 24 March 2019

The family of a 73-year-old French woman injured in a police charge at a protest are taking legal action.

Geneviève Legay fell and hit her head on a metal post during the banned "yellow vest" demonstration in Nice.

The incident, captured on video by demonstrators and journalists, is being investigated.

Ms Legay, who sustained skull fractures and bleeding next to the brain, is reported to be in a stable condition in intensive care.

Ms Legay, a spokeswoman for the local arm of an anti-globalisation NGO, had come to defend the right to demonstrate, her daughter said.

Protests had been banned in a large part of of the southern city's centre.

The activist's family plan to file a complaint for wilful violence by armed persons holding public authority on a vulnerable person, their lawyer said.

The Nice public prosecutor has opened an investigation to determine the origin of her injuries.

Soldiers were deployed for the first time during Saturday's protests to back up police and help maintain security. Protesters had been banned in the centres of many large French cities.

But there has been widespread criticism of anti-terrorist forces being used to control crowds, with politicians from across the political spectrum voicing concerns.

'Tough action'

Some 40,000 protested on Saturday across France, an increase from 32,000 protesters last weekend, the interior minister said.

After last week's riots, which resulted in more than 120 arrests, French President Emmanuel Macron had vowed "tough" action.

Saturday's protests were largely peaceful and did not match the scale of those on 16 March, when boutiques and buildings in Paris along the Champs-Elysées were vandalised. Clashes also took place in cities including Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse and Montpellier.

The "yellow vests" ("gilets jaunes") started protesting in November, initially because of fuel tax rises.

The movement soon evolved into a broader rebellion against perceived elitism, for which activists blame Mr Macron.

Concessions were offered to protesters late last year as the movement was picking up speed - including €10bn (£8.5bn; $11bn) designed to raise incomes of the poorest workers and pensioners. But this has not put an end to the discontent.

For the past month, the president has toured France, listening to local mayors and citizens as part of his "grand débat" - or big national debate.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47684218

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France's 'yellow vest' protesters march in Paris as troops join police to prevent trouble

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday dismissed criticism from opposition leaders regarding the involvement of the military. French Army soldiers of Operation Sentinelle patrol around the Eiffel Tower during Yellow Vest protests on March 23, 2019 in Paris, France.

NBC, Kiran Ridley / March 23, 2019,

PARIS —

Yellow vest demonstrators gathered in Paris and other French cities for a 19th round of demonstrations as authorities issued bans on protests in certain areas and enhanced security measures in an effort to avoid a repeat of last week's riots in the capital.

Authorities banned protests Saturday from the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris and central neighborhoods of several cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice in the south, and Rouen in western France.

Paris police said 31 people have been arrested and 15 protesters were fined for being in the banned area, out of 2,322 controls in the streets of the capital.

The new Paris police chief, Didier Lallement, who took charge following last week's protests, said specific police units have been created to react faster to any violence.

About 6,000 police officers are deployed in the capital and two drones are helping to monitor the demonstrations.

Authorities also deployed soldiers to protect sensitive sites and allow police forces to focus on maintaining order during the protests.

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday dismissed criticism from opposition leaders regarding the involvement of the military.

"Those trying to scare people, or to scare themselves, are wrong," he said in Brussels.

The French government announced new security measures this week and replaced the Paris police chief with Lallement following riots on the Champs-Elysees that left luxury stores ransacked and charred from arson fires.

Last week's surge in violence came as the 4-month-old anti-government movement has been dwindling.

The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader rejection of Macron's economic policies, which protesters say favor businesses and the wealthy over ordinary French workers.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/france-s-yellow-vest-protesters-march-paris-troops-join-police-n986586  

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