The 43rd week of the Yellow Vests movement has been overshadowed by violence amid clashes between protesters and police, as demonstrations took place in Paris, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Rouen. RNA - "The demonstrators threw projectiles on the police. Summations were made and there was the use of tear gas in response to the throwing of projectiles, the protesters were rejected and returned outside the perimeter," the sub-prefect of permanence, Jean-Éric Winckler, stated as quoted by AFP.
In Montpellier, between 1,500 and 3,000 people took part in the rally, with clashes also reported near the city's station. According to AFP, some of the protesters fired projectiles, prompting the police to use tear gas.
Several storefronts were also vandalised, and police announced three people had been detained, according to France24.
Some incidents and clashes were also reported in Lille, where more than 600 protesters took part in the rally (according to a police source), while the Yellow Vests say the number of demonstrators there stood at 1,500.
Meanwhile, during a rally in Paris, an emblematic figure of the Yellow Vests movement, Éric Drouet, was fined twice "for organizing an undeclared event" and was ordered to leave the perimeter.
Rallies of several hundreds of people were held in cities including Rouen, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
The wave of Yellow Vests rallies started in France in November of 2018 over planned hikes in fuel taxes. While the French government has abandoned its plans to raise fuel taxes and introduced other measures to improve the country's socio-economic situation, protesters continue to take to the streets across France every weekend for demonstrations to express their discontent with the government's policies.
The protests rocked Emmanuel Macron's presidency, and he eventually unveiled nearly 17 billion euros ($18.8 billion) in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners to quell the protests, while vowing to better address voters' grievances after months of town-hall debates.
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