Paris police use tear gas against ‘yellow vest’ protesters

PARIS, FRANCE – : Protesters chant slogans s protest has involved at least 5,000 demonstrators gathering in the Parisian city centre with police having made over 200 arrests so far.

Police stand by as climate change protestors block a DLR train at Canary wharf station on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, in London on April 17, 2019. – Nearly 300 people have been arrested in ongoing climate change protests in London that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill.

The French capital was the scene of chaos as police confronted protesters, who set off small fires. Video shows heavy black smoke in the air. Police also used water cannons to disperse the crowds.The Paris prosecutor’s office said 122 ‘yellow vest’ protesters were placed in police custody.This is the first demonstration since the devastating fire this week at the Notre Dame cathedral. The Interior Ministry said some 9,600 people demonstrated across France, including 6,700 in Paris.

The protesters, who chanted, sang and played musical instruments as they marched, are rallying against economic injustice. Some say the hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to rebuild Notre Dame is a glaring sign of the inequalities in the country.

“Everything for Notre Dame, Nothing for the miserables,” read a sign on one yellow vest, referring to French author Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables.”We are all cathedrals,” read another sign.The government had warned protesters that police would use “all means necessary” to stop demonstrations from getting out of control.
More than 60,000 police were deployed across France to deal with the protests, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.There were protests in other cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Lille, AFP reports. Police also fired tear gas in the city of Toulouse, where thousands were demonstrating, according to Reuters.

The “gilets jaunes,” or yellow vest, protests began as a campaign against a gas tax hike, but have morphed into a broader rally against President Emmanuel Macron’s government.Macron had been set to make a televised address to the nation Monday and announce measures to diffuse the unrest. He spoke instead about the Notre Dame blaze.Macron is now set to make his announcement Thursday.

In his New Year’s address, Macron referred to the movement without naming it. He acknowledged anger against injustice but said hateful speech would not be tolerated, and called on people to respect each other. He also has pledged to increase the minimum wage and scrap new pension taxes to appease the protesters.