Yellow Vests in France have been organizing demonstrations across the country for 3 weeks against the high cost of living. With the call of the Yellow Vests and different unions, the French once again took to the streets in many cities, including the capital Paris, Marseille and Toulouse.
The demonstration in Paris started at 14:00 local time in the historical Republic Square. In the square, where intense police measures were taken, all side streets except the street on the demonstration route were closed by police trucks. A law enforcement helicopter patrolled overhead.
"WE WANT TO READ LESSONABLES, NOT LIVE IT"
Saying "The streets are ours" and shouting slogans against the French police and the National Unity (RN) Party, the demonstrators walked in the direction of Nation Square. Demonstrators carried French and Palestinian flags, as well as signs saying "Our garbage is better protected than our children", "We want to read Les Misérables, not live" and "(French President Emmanuel) Macron is the Mozart of misery".
The high cost of living and the government's socioeconomic and education policies were protested at the demonstration, in which some demonstrators participated in Batman, Superman, Mario and Captain America costumes.
The windows of many shops and bank branches along the demonstration route were covered with wooden boards. A giant model of the female figure called "Marianne" representing the French Republic was also included in the show. It was noteworthy that the figure in question was depicted with red tears flowing from its eyes. Tension increased between the police and demonstrators in Millet Square, the end point of the demonstration. Demonstrators threw different objects, including water bottles, at the police in response to the police arresting and taking away a protester. The police used pepper gas and batoned the demonstrators to disperse the demonstration in the square.
360 PEOPLE WERE DETAINED
According to reports in the national press, a group of demonstrators gathered in Concorde Square opposite the National Assembly in Paris, despite the ban. While the police formed a circle around the demonstrators in Concorde Square, those who attended the demonstration reacted by sitting on the ground. The police took action against Benjamin Ball, a member of the Yellow Vest movement coordination, and the coordination spokesperson Azelma Sigaux, who were in the square.
Demonstrators in this square were checked by the police and fined 135 euros for participating in a "prohibited action". In the city of Lyon, police intervened with pepper gas to disperse hundreds of people who gathered despite the ban on demonstrations. 10 people were detained in the city, where some demonstrators threw fireworks at the police.
In the city of Nantes, demonstrators took to the streets despite the ban on demonstrations. During the demonstration, where tension increased, the police intervened with pressurized water against the demonstrators. While citizens took to the streets in the city of Lille in the north of the country, the police used pepper gas during the demonstration. During the demonstration, different objects, including garbage bins, were set on fire, while the police forced a demonstrator to lie face down on the ground to catch him. According to the data of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, 146 thousand people participated in the demonstrations across the country and 360 people were detained in these demonstrations. Unions announced the number of participants as 250 thousand.
