Paris turned into battle zone as "Yellow Vest" protests escalate

PARIS (Reuters) - French riot police fought street battles with “yellow vest” protesters in central Paris, in a third weekend of nationwide unrest against high living costs that pose one of the most serious challenges to Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.

In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while almost 100 were injured as protesters hurled projectiles at riot officers, burned cars and smashed shop fronts. In some areas, groups of masked men roamed freely, smashing properties, burning cars and vandalizing banks.

Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon at protesters at the top of the Champs-Elysees boulevard, at the Tuilleries Garden near the Louvre museum and other sites across the city including Opera and Place de la Bastille. More than a dozen metro stations were closed.

Macron, in Argentina for a G20 summit, said he would convene ministers to discuss the crisis upon his return on Sunday.

“We are in a state of insurrection, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jeanne d’Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris’ 8th district, near the Arc de Triomphe.

The popular rebellion erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17 and spread quickly via social media, with protesters blocking roads across France and impeding access to shopping malls, factories and some fuel depots.

On Saturday, some targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting “Macron Resign” and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: “The yellow vests will triumph.”

Addressing a news conference in Buenos Aires, Macron said no cause justified the looting of stores, attacks on the security forces or torching of property. The violence, he said, had nothing to do with the peaceful expression of legitimate grievances. 

“I will always respect differences. I will always listen to opposition, but I will never accept violence,” the president said.- Read More

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