The “yellow vests”, which sport these fluorescent jackets that every motorist must hold in case of an accident, denounce the rise in fuel prices, taxes and the decline in purchasing power.
Chaos on the Champs-Élysées, numerous incidents took place Saturday, November 24, between breakers having infiltrated in the procession and forces of the order.
This movement, which claims to be apolitical, enjoys strong popular support, despite an erosion of mobilization: more than 106,000 demonstrators have been identified throughout France – including 8,000 in Paris – against a total of 282 710 last Saturday, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
From the middle of the morning until the end of the afternoon, protesters opposed the police by throwing projectiles and building barricades, which gendarmes and riot police repel with tear gas and of water cannons.
In the capital, 24 people were injured, including five members of the police. Some 130 protesters were detained in France. In Paris, 69 people were arrested, according to a report from the police headquarters in the evening.
Burned barricades, black smoke, torn traffic lights, unsealed pavements, water cannons … Intense tear gas, the area of the Champs-Elysees was the scene of violent incidents throughout the day.
The demonstrators hoped to be able to approach the Elysee down the famous avenue, still full of tourists and onlookers. At the roundabout Champs-Elysees, impassable border, the police cordon this time held. But the situation quickly degenerated: young people with faces often masked by scarves and hoods, scattered in the procession, face the forces of order, trying to make contact.
Shots of tear gas and water cannons responded to fireworks and projectiles of all kinds: bottles, pavers, planks … The place is invaded by irritating fumes. Protesters flee into adjacent streets or retreat to the Arc de Triomphe.
On the square, metal barriers of construction are ripped off to serve as improvised barricades in the middle of “the most beautiful avenue of the world”. Projectiles rain on the helmets and shields of the CRS or mobile gendarmes. These load repeatedly. At the end of the morning, the roundabout is evacuated, little by little the demonstrators flow towards the Arc-de-Triomphe.
After 20 hours, tension remained high on the avenue and in some surrounding streets, with still small mobile groups of people, some hooded, who continued to “harass” the police or burn barricades.
The president expressed his “shame” at these incidents, denouncing those who “attacked” the police and “abused other citizens”.
Shame on those who attacked them. Shame on those who have abused other citizens and journalists. Shame on those who have tried to intimidate elected officials. No room for this violence in the Republic. “By these words, Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the violence that enamelled the mobilization of” yellow vests “this Saturday, November 24 in Paris.
The yellow vests demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Economy in Bercy but also the Place de la Bastille, in a peaceful march.
A call for the organization of another demonstration on December 1st appeared on Facebook. His goal: to push the head of state to resign.
“Act 3 Macron resigns!”: A Facebook event calling for the holding of a new Paris event on Avenue des Champs-Elysées was created this 24th of November. Organized by a group called Yellow Vests.
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