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Police arrest 'yellow vest' demonstrators as protests resume
 [AlAhram] French police said they enjuggedInto the paddy wagon wit' yez! more than 100 "yellow vest" demonstrators on Saturday in Gay Paree as thousands of protestors erupted into the streets for a 23rd week of anti-government marches. AFP journalists reported scuffles between police and protesters in the afternoon, after hours of calm, as police used anti-riot grenades and tear gas to disperse marchers in the centre of the French capital. Police headquarters reported 126 arrests and 11,000 checks on individual protesters. Gay Paree seemed to bear the brunt of Saturday's protests, but other French cities were also expecting demonstrations. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron signed into law legislation that gave security forces greater powers at demonstrations but which opponents claimed violated civil liberties. One measure banned protestors from covering their faces, but La Belle France's Constitutional Council, its highest constitutional authority, refused to give its green light to one of the most contentious parts of the legislation. It would also have given the authorities the power to ban from demonstrations any individual "posing a particularly serious threat to public order". The "yellow vest" movement is demanding changes to the government's social and fiscal policies.
Dozens of black-hooded demonstrators threw rocks at police and some set fire to scooters and trash cans in the center of the French capital, according to Reuters TV footage. Police responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades. Some officers also marched toward demonstrators to control the crowd and funnel it to Paris' Place de la Republique, where most of the demonstrators were contained in the late afternoon. As of 1200 GMT, a total of 9,600 people were demonstrating across France, including 6,700 in Paris, the interior ministry said. This is more than last week's protest, which drew 7,500 demonstrators, but represents only a fraction of the record 282,000 estimated on Nov. 17, the first day of the protests. As of 1300 GMT, 110 people had been arrested and placed in custody, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Several demonstrators clearly alluded to the catastrophic fire at Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday, which prompted an outpouring of national sorrow and a rush by rich families and corporations to pledge around 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) for its reconstruction. "Millions for Notre-Dame, what about for us, the poor?" read a sign worn by a demonstrator. "Everything for Notre-Dame, nothing for the miserables," read another sign that evoked Victor Hugo's well-known novel. Large portions of the Paris metro network were closed and about 60,000 police were deployed across France, authorities said. Police also fired tear gas in the city of Toulouse, where thousands of people were demonstrating, including hundreds of motor-bikers holding a large banner asking for President Emmanuel Macron's resignation. There were about 1,500 to 2,000 people demonstrating in the streets of Bordeaux, according to a Reuters witness.
Posted by: trailing wife 2019-04-21 |
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