Thousands of yellow vest protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for a 15th straight weekend of demonstrations, trying to re-energize supporters while stamping down on the violence and anti-Semitism in the movement’s ranks.
Among the many rallies around Paris and in other French cities, hundreds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris to march through well-off neighborhoods to protest government policies they see as favoring the rich.
Tempers frayed at the end of the main demonstration at the Trocadero plaza, next to the Eiffel Tower, and French police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
Thousands of yellow vest protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for a 15th straight weekend of demonstrations
Five separate demonstrations were organized in the French capital, which saw 4,000 protesters by 2 p.m. according to Interior Ministry, which said there were 11,600 protesters scattered across France.
Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue.
Last weekend, the extremist views of some protesters erupted in a torrent of anti-Semitic insults hurled at noted philosopher Alain Finkielkraut on the sidelines of a Paris protest. The assault came days after the French government reported a huge rise in incidents of anti-Semitism last year.
The yellow vest protesters, or gilet jaunes, are trying to re-energize supporters while stamping down on the violence and anti-Semitism in the movement’s ranks
Local authorities in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand urged residents on Saturday to avoid downtown, where 2,500 yellow vest protesters clashed with police forces. The prefecture said police arrested 15 people – including eight who were placed in custody – and seized weapons including baseball bats and alarm pistols.
A few hundred yellow vest protesters made the most of the sunny weather to gather at Chambord Castle in central France for a picnic. Elsewhere, activists blocked access to an Amazon platform in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.
Among the many rallies around Paris and in other French cities, hundreds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris to march through well-off neighborhoods to protest government policies they see as favoring the rich
The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader public rejection of French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, which protesters say favor businesses and the wealthy over ordinary French workers.
Macron has tried to assuage protesters’ anger by making some concessions – like rolling back the fuel tax hike – and holding forums where officials can better listen to public demands.
Tempers frayed at the end of the main demonstration at the Trocadero plaza, next to the Eiffel Tower, and French police used tear gas to disperse protesters
French police stand next to burning garbage dumpsters as yellow vest protesters take part in the 15th consecutive Saturday of demonstrations
Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue in the streets of France
French police were deployed across Paris and other French cities as protests against government tax reforms rage on
Local authorities in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand urged residents on Saturday to avoid downtown, where 2,500 yellow vest protesters clashed with police forces
Riot police stand near a burning barricade during the yellow vest protests which erupted after President Macron’s decision to raise fuel taxes
Five separate demonstrations were organized in the French capital, which saw 4,000 protesters by 2 pm according to Interior Ministry
A protestor wearing ‘Yellow Vest’ holds a placard in support to the RIC ‘Referendum of Citizen Origin’ in Chambord Castle’s (Chateau de Chambord) gardens
Protesters stand next to tear gas canisters falling on the ground during an anti-government demonstration called by the ‘Yellow Vest’ movement in Toulouse
Riot police stand near yellow flare during the anti-government gilet jaunes protest in Toulouse, which has been a popular city for protest among the protesters
Protestors wave French flags in front of Chambord Castle during a picnic as part of an anti-government demonstration
One of the Yellow vest spokesperson Priscillia Ludosky stands in front of Chambord Castle (Chateau de Chambord)
A helicopter of the French gendarmerie flies over the Place de Jaude in downtown Clermont-Ferrand, central France
A protester with a vest that translates to ‘long live anger’ holds a French flag on Place de Jaude in downtown Clermont-Ferrand
Yellow vest protestors stand between a French flag and an European flag in front of Chambord Castle during a picnic
A yellow vest protester waves a French flag with two raised yellow fists, which is the international symbol for solidarity and support
Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme (picture right), a descendant of Louis XIV, talks to a protester in front of Chambord Castle
Hundreds of yellow vest protesters gather in front of the Arc de Triomphe during an anti-government demonstration in Paris
Hundreds of yellow vest protesters demonstrate outside The Opera de Paris Palais Garnier in Paris in the 15th weekend of protests
A flare explodes by police during an anti-government demonstration in front of The Opera de Paris Palais Garnier in Paris
A Yellow vest protester is detained by French gendarmes during an anti-government demonstration in Paris on Saturday
A Yellow vest protester stands on a sign in front of the Arc de Triomphe during an anti-government demonstration in Paris
A woman wearing the Phrygian cap, referring to France’s Marianne, holds a placard with a slogan against tax evasion
Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Borgne (French word meaning ‘one-eyed’) to be Free’ referring to wounded protesters
Protesters hold a banner reading ‘RIC’ (the acronym for ‘Citizen’s Initiated Referendum’) as they take part in anti-government demonstrations
A Yellow vest protester holds a French flag and a yellow flare during an anti-government demonstration in Belfort
A Yellow vest protester is detained by French gendarmes during an anti-government demonstration in Paris on Saturday
Yellow vest protesters sit on the grass of Chambord Castle’s (Chateau de Chambord) gardens in Chambord
Detail of a French riot policeman’s chest rig during an anti-government demonstration in front of The Opera de Paris Palais Garnier in Paris
The ‘Yellow Vest’ (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against the President’s policies and top-down style of governing
The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies
A wheelchair bound protestor passes alongside marchers during an anti-government demonstration in front of The Opera de Paris Palais Garnier in Paris
A protester wearing a yellow vest waves a French flag on the grass of Chambord Castle’s (Chateau de Chambord) gardens in Chambord
A protestor holds a protection reading ‘Not in the head’ during a ‘Yellow Vest’ anti-government demonstration in Montpellier
Yellow vest protesters gather at the Trocadero plaza next to the Eiffel Tower as they demonstrate in the streets of Paris, France
People dressed as Obelix and Asterix take part in a ‘Yellow Vest’ anti-government demonstration in Montpellier, southern France
Protesters and anti-riot policemen walk near the Eiffel tower during the 15th consecutive yellow vest protest in France
One of the Yellow vests’ spokesperson Priscillia Ludosky (pictured second from left) and protesters wearing ‘Yellow Vest’
A protester plays with tin cans bearing the image of French President and members of the government in Chambord Castle’s
Yellow-vest protesters block the French A36 highway near Belfort during the ant-government demonstrations
Protesters run in a street amid smoke during the anti-government demonstration in Epinal, France
Protesters stand next to tear gas canisters falling on the ground during the anti-government demonstration in Toulouse
Yellow-vest protesters use fireworks in front of the Eiffel tower during the anti-government demonstrations in France
Police riot face yellow vest protesters during anti-government demonstration that occurred across cities in France