Thousands of protesters from France's Yellow Vest movement marched Saturday for a 18th straight weekend in Paris and other cities to maintain pressure on the government to reverse policies they see as favoring the rich. RNA - Thousands of protesters marched on Saturday in Paris and other French cities for a 18th straight weekend of Yellow Vest rallies in which dozens of people were arrested, World News reported.
Violence erupted on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, where protesters congregated to take part in the weekly march which began in November. Demonstrators erected barricades near the Champs-Elysees in scenes reminiscent of some of the most tense rallies, prompting police to fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.
Later, the demonstration broke out into a riot, with some protesters looting stores on Champs-Elysees, according to reports.
According to reports, Paris mobilized more police than in previous weeks in an attempt to stave off unrest. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested by Saturday evening.
"From 7,000 to 8,000 people are currently rallying in Paris, and out of them around 1,500 people are ultraviolent, and they have come to destroy and to attack," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told broadcaster BFMTV. The Interior Ministry later upped the turnout to 10,000 protesters in Paris and 14,500 nationwide.
It came after the upper house of the French parliament greenlighted a bill giving police broad powers to quell unrest. It comes as a rights watchdog warned of civil liberties being undermined in France due to crackdowns on demonstration.
The Yellow Vest protests have been marred by violence from both sides. While the French authorities blame radicals for inciting violence, protesters accuse the police of disproportionate use of force that has resulted in limbs getting torn off, eyes lost and other life-changing injuries for demonstrators who were caught up in the clashes.
The French newspaper Journal du Dimanche has published a letter to President Emmanuel Macron written by the country’s 35 leading ophthalmologists, in which they asserted that the police’s use of rubber bullets has led to an “epidemic of serious eye injuries”.
Many people risk losing their vision, doctors say, hinting that the current dismal developments are no coincidence as rubber balls fly with great force and are often directed inaccurately.
French riot police have become notorious for using hand-held guns, locally known as defence-ball launchers or Flash-Balls, during the demonstrations that been ongoing since November.
The currently deployed model – named LBD 40 – fires 40mm foam projectiles, roughly the size of a golf ball. Rubber bullets have apparently become the police’s primary means of combating unruly crowds, and have been deployed more than 13,000 times, according to local officials.
Also, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for a “full investigation” of France’s excessive use of force towards the Yellow Vests who, according to her words, demand a “respectful dialogue”.
Government figures show that over 2,000 protesters and over 1,000 police officers have been injured since protests broke out in November.
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