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Paris on high alert as protesters try to revive gilets jaunes movement Police crack down on resurgent gilets jaunes protesters in Paris
(about 3 hours later)
Paris is under high security this weekend as anti-government protesters try to revive the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement against perceived economic injustice and the French president Emmanuel Macron’s government. French police fired teargas and made dozens of arrests on Saturday as they dispersed groups of gilets jaunes (yellow vest) protesters attempting to stage unauthorised rallies in central Paris.
A few hundred anti-government protesters started marching through the Paris streets on Saturday morning. The government deployed a massive police presence as it feared supporters would take advantage of authorised protests over climate change and pension reform to cause disruption in the French capital.
Several calls for demonstrations have been issued by yellow vest supporters, environmental activists and a far-left workers union. France’s annual heritage weekend, a popular event with many cultural sites open to the public, is also taking place. Police had made 90 arrests in Paris by around midday local time (1000 GMT) and pushed back around one hundred protesters attempting to gather on the Champs-Elysees shopping avenue, the Paris police prefecture said.
About 7,500 police were mobilised, several districts including the Champs-Elysees were made out-of-bounds for protests, and more than 30 metro stations closed.
Climate activists on trial in Paris for stealing Macron portraitsClimate activists on trial in Paris for stealing Macron portraits
Authorities have deployed more than 7,000 police and banned protests in a large central area including the presidential palace, government and parliament buildings, the Champs-Élysees, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral. The yellow vest protesters, named after motorists’ high-visibility jackets, were holding a 45th consecutive Saturday of action and seeking to revive participation in demonstrations that have sometimes turned violent. The movement emerged late last year, triggered by fuel tax rises and swelled into a revolt against President Emmanuel Macron’s style of government.
The gilets jaunes movement that emerged 10 months ago petered out this summer. The government’s planned overhaul of France’s retirement system prompted a massive strike by metro workers on 13 September, shutting most of the underground transport network.
The authorities have also been taking precautions so protesters do not disrupt an annual heritage event this weekend that gives the public special access to many historic sites.
Some sites such as the Arc de Triomphe monument have been closed while others such as the Elysee presidential palace have required visitors to register in advance.
ParisParis
Gilets jaunes protestsGilets jaunes protests
FranceFrance
Europe
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