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Paris police fire teargas on anniversary of gilets jaunes protests Gilets jaunes mark first anniversary amid clashes with police
(about 1 hour later)
Clashes between yellow vest protesters and police lead to 33 arrests in French capital Police forces fired teargas and water canon against protesters in French capital
Paris police fired teargas in north-western and southern Paris to drive back protesters who were marking the first anniversary of the anti-government “yellow vest” demonstrations. The gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement marked a year of weekend demonstrations with protests across France. In Paris, groups of black-clad youths caused damages at a central square, smashing bus shelters, a bank and torching vehicles.
On Saturday demonstrators at the French capital’s Place d’Italie, many clad in black and hiding their faces, set bins on fire and hurled projectiles at riot police while building barricades. Police responded by firing teargas and using water cannon against the protesters, only a few of whom were wearing the yellow vests affiliated with the movement. French media blamed “ultra radical” black bloc protesters for the violence.
Clashes broke out between groups of demonstrators and police near the Porte de Champerret as protesters were preparing to march across town towards Gare d’Austerlitz. As clouds of black smoke mingled with the teargas in Place d’Italie, the fire services struggled to put out numerous blazes. Protesters threw missiles at police and gendarmes who withdrew to surrounding streets to stop the clashes spreading.
According to reports, police also intervened to prevent a few hundred demonstrators from occupying the Paris ring road.33 people had been reported as arrested by 11.30am. The 53rd weekend of protests began with gilets jaunes invading the busy Paris ring road, the périphérique, blocking traffic in both directions. They were dispersed by police without violence.
The gilets jaunes protests, named after the high-visibility jackets worn by demonstrators, erupted in mid-November 2018 over fuel price hikes and the high cost of living. The demonstrations spiralled into a broader movement against the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his economic measures. Later, groups, of mainly youths, masked and dressed in black, gathered around Place d’italie, one of the main squares in the French capital.
The protests have lost strength in recent months, going from tens of thousands of participants to just a few thousand, but the movement’s leaders called for people to turn out on Saturday to mark the first anniversary. At its peak in late 2018, the yellow vests movement had grown to up to 300,000 people. Demonstrations were planned in other cities including Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse, Calais, Colmar and Dunkirk.
Protests have been banned near tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and many metro stations were closed. Paris police cancelled the official gilets jaunes march that was due to set off from Place d’Italie at 2pm. But protesters tore up metal barriers set up around public works at the square and used them to build barricades against riot police.
The yellow vest movement was one of the toughest challenges to Macron’s presidency before it dwindled in the early summer. It evolved from nationwide road blockades into a series of often-violent demonstrations that pitted rowdy protesters against police and ravaged Paris and other cities around the country. Sociologist Jean Viard told BFMTV that the “real” gilets jaunes with genuine concerns – many of them women – were on the rural roundabouts and not at Place d’Italie.
The crisis forced Macron to make policy concessions and delay announced measures including overhauling the pension and unemployment systems. The yellow vest movement – named after the fluorescent sleeveless vests French drivers are obliged to carry in their vehicles – began in the autumn of 2018 in opposition to Emmanuel Macron’s decision to hike taxes on vehicle fuel. Protesters claimed this would hit those living in rural areas who depend on vehicles to work.
A survey by the pollster Odoxa, published two weeks ago, showed almost half of French people believe the protest movement might reawaken. The movement quickly morphed into a more general opposition to the government, seen as pro-business and out of touch, or indifferent to the daily worries of those outside urban areas.
Macron’s plans to simplify the unwieldy and expensive pension system, which he claims will make it fairer, is particularly unpopular. The government dropped the fuel tax, but gilets jaunes leaders expanded their demands to include citizens referenda on political issues and the return of France’s “wealth tax”, among others.
Trade unions have called on railway workers, Paris public transport staff, truck drivers and civil servants to strike against the pensions overhaul on 5 December. Students and yellow vest protesters have called for people to join forces with the unions. Attempts by what has been a leaderless movement to set up a gilets jaunes political party ended in acrimony as outspoken members insisted it should remain non-political.
This week Macron promised money for hospitals in a bid to quell unrest among medics. At the height of the protests a year ago, the turn out was estimated at around 282,000 and sparked running battles with French police. Among the most high-profile events was when gilets jaunes invaded the Champs-Élysées, destroying news kiosks, ripping up pavements to throw stones at police and using scaffolding to build barricades across the boulevard. Protesters also sprayed graffiti on the Arc de Triomphe.
On Saturday, the Champs-Élysées was ringed by police, gendarmes and armoured vehicles, in anticipation of protesters.
In Montpellier in the south on the other hand, gilets jaunes gathered in an atmosphere of calm early on Saturday afternoon.
French police and gendarmes have been accused of responding with unjustified violence against protests. Officials have reported that the use of large rubber bullets and crowd dispersion grenades against demonstrators has caused so far around 2,500 injuries including 24 who have lost eyes and five a hand. The police and gendarmes forces say 1,800 of their members have been injured too. Le Monde claimed there had been 10,000 arrests across France during the last year of protests.
The country is still divided over the movement, which is now the longest-running series of protests in French history. Macron has said the protests showed the need for him to put more humanity into what he called his “impatient” style of leadership. He is currently facing other social conflicts, including striking hospital staff and student demonstrations. Unions are also planning a nationwide strike against planned pension reforms, expected to severely disrupt roads and transport.
Over the past few months, the gilets jaunes movement appeared to have run out of steam, though the grievances behind it remain. In June 200 the movement’s delegations gathered to debate its future and how to have a “long-term presence”. Many called for the gilets jaunes to redirect its energies towards hitting the economy, motorway toll booths and oil refineries.
An opinion poll in Le Figaro suggested 68% of the French support the underlying concerns highlighted by the movement. A second poll by BFMTV suggested almost as many – 63% – do not think it should continue its action.