Clashes erupt in Paris as ‘yellow vests’ protest at unrepentant Macron

Monday, 7 January 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Riot policemen run near a fire during a demonstration by the "yellow vests" movement at Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris, France, 5 January 2019 - Reuters

PARIS (Reuters): Rioters in Paris torched motorbikes and set barricades ablaze on the upmarket Boulevard Saint-Germain on Saturday, as protests against high living costs and the perceived indifference of President Emmanuel Macron turned violent on the fringes.

The latest ‘yellow vest’ marches began peacefully but degenerated in the afternoon as protesters threw missiles at riot police blocking bridges over the Seine.

Officers fired tear gas to prevent protesters crossing the river and reaching the National Assembly. One riverboat restaurant was set ablaze and a policeman was wounded when he was hit by a bicycle hurled from a street above the river bank.

Two months after they started blocking roads, occupying highway tollbooths and staging sometimes-violent street protests in Paris, the yellow vests wanted to inject new momentum into a movement that weakened over the holidays.Macron’s government, shaken by the unrest, had this week hardened its stance, branding the protesters agitators seeking to overthrow the government.

Driving the unrest is anger, particularly among low-paid workers, over a squeeze on household incomes, and a belief that Macron is deaf to citizens’ needs as he enacts reforms seen as favouring the wealthy.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux escaped from his office through a back door after a small number of protesters broke into the compound and smashed up vehicles.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said about 50,000 people had protested in cities nationwide, including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Rouen and Marseille.

The turnout was higher than last week but a small fraction of the numbers seen in the first weeks of the protests.