- Hundreds of yellow vest protesters – also known as gilet jaunes – held rallies around Paris and other cities
- Five separate demonstrations were organized in the French capital, which saw 4,000 protesters by 2 pm
- Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue
- Tempers frayed at the end of the main demonstration next to the Eiffel Tower after police used tear gas
Thousands of yellow vest protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for a 15th straight weekend of demonstrations, trying to re-energize supporters while stamping down on the violence and anti-Semitism in the movement’s ranks.
Among the many rallies around Paris and in other French cities, hundreds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris to march through well-off neighborhoods to protest government policies they see as favoring the rich.
Tempers frayed at the end of the main demonstration at the Trocadero plaza, next to the Eiffel Tower, and French police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
Five separate demonstrations were organized in the French capital, which saw 4,000 protesters by 2 p.m. according to Interior Ministry, which said there were 11,600 protesters scattered across France.
Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue.
Last weekend, the extremist views of some protesters erupted in a torrent of anti-Semitic insults hurled at noted philosopher Alain Finkielkraut on the sidelines of a Paris protest. The assault came days after the French government reported a huge rise in incidents of anti-Semitism last year.
The yellow vest protesters, or gilet jaunes, are trying to re-energize supporters while stamping down on the violence and anti-Semitism in the movement’s ranks
Local authorities in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand urged residents on Saturday to avoid downtown, where 2,500 yellow vest protesters clashed with police forces. The prefecture said police arrested 15 people – including eight who were placed in custody – and seized weapons including baseball bats and alarm pistols.
A few hundred yellow vest protesters made the most of the sunny weather to gather at Chambord Castle in central France for a picnic. Elsewhere, activists blocked access to an Amazon platform in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.
