Clashes rock Paris fueled by fuel
tax and social tensions
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| Violent clashes erupt in Paris.- AFP |
Clashes have broken out in Paris where police fired tear gas
and detained hundreds of people as the French capital went on lockdown for the
latest "yellow vest" protests against President Emmanuel Macron and
France’s high taxes.
By Stefan J. Bos
Protesters mingled with tear gas near the famous
Champs-Elysees avenue, the scene last Saturday of the worst rioting in Paris
for decades. They demand the resignation of French President Emannual
Macron, who they claim is out-of-touch with ordinary people.
Yellow-vested demonstrators also tried to reach the heart of
presidential power. But a ring of steel surrounded the Elysee Palace itself as
police stationed trucks and reinforced steel barriers in streets throughout the
entire neighborhood.
Blue armored vehicles beneath the famed monument Arc de Triomphe and rows of helmeted, thickly protected riot police blocked the demonstrators’ the passage down the Champs-Elysees avenue toward the presidential palace.
Blue armored vehicles beneath the famed monument Arc de Triomphe and rows of helmeted, thickly protected riot police blocked the demonstrators’ the passage down the Champs-Elysees avenue toward the presidential palace.
Authorities said that hundreds of demonstrators had been searched
and at least more than 360 people remained in custody after police found what
they described as potential weapons such as hammers and baseball bats.
Police also confiscated gas masks and protective goggles
from journalists trying to cover the violence between protesters and security
forces.
Thousands of police
The government deployed 8,000 police in the city, as part of
extraordinary security measures across France aimed at preventing a repeat of
last week’s rioting, which injured 130 people and struck a new blow to the
country's global image.
Since the unrest began November 17 in response to a sharp
increase in diesel and gasoline taxes, four people have been killed in
protest-related accidents.
The government has since abandoned the immediate introduction
of additional fuel taxes aimed at fighting climate change.
But the demands of the "yellow vest" movement —
named for the safety gear that French motorists keep in their cars — is now
pressing for a broader range of benefits from the government to help workers,
retirees, and students.
Violence across Europe
Similar protests also spread Saturday to other nations,
including Belgium where police fired tear gas and water cannons at
stone-throwing yellow-vested protesters near the country’s government offices
and parliament.
Authorities said about 100 have been detained, many for
possessing dangerous objects like fireworks or wearing clothing that could be
used as protection in clashes with police.
In neighboring the Netherlands, about 100 protesters gathered
in a peaceful demonstration outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague, but at
least two protesters were detained by police in central Amsterdam.
Protests over labor issues were also held in Budapest.
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