Police firing tear gas and water cannons clashed in Paris on Saturday with thousands of protesters angry over rising car fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, the second weekend of “yellow vest” protests across France.
As night fell, the famed Champs-Elysees avenue, where fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld switched on the red lights of Christmas just a few days ago, was still aglow with fires lit by protesters.
President Emmanuel Macron thanked police forces for their “courage and professionalism” in dealing with demonstrators as calm progressively returned to the Champs Elysees. “Shame on those who attacked them … There is no room for this violence in the Republic,” Macron said on Twitter.
During the clashes a trailer was set on fire and exploded on the Champs Elysees, France’s most famous tourist mile, and a man who tried to attack fire fighters was overpowered by some of the demonstrators themselves. Read more