Police in Paris have deployed tear gas against yellow vest protesters who flooded the streets of the capital to mark the first anniversary of the movement, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2019) Police in Paris have deployed tear gas against yellow vest protesters who flooded the streets of the capital to mark the first anniversary of the movement, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.Hundreds of people gathered near the Porte Champerret in the north of the capital. The law enforcers told the demonstrators that the protest was unsanctioned and called upon them to leave the area. Police later deployed tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Later in the day, police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators in the Place d'Italie, a square in the south of the capital. Photos on social media show barricades on fire, masked protesters and officers in full gear.
The capital's police confirmed on Twitter that the officers had already detained 33 people in Paris.
France, especially Paris, has been swept by yellow vest protests since mid-November 2018. Started initially as rallies against fuel tax hikes, the protests then grew into a full-scale movement which representatives took to the streets every Saturday. After the government abandoned its plans on raising the fuel tax, protesters continued hitting the streets across France, demanding fewer taxes, wage hikes and even the resignation of Macron.
The rallies often ended in violent confrontations between police and demonstrators, with the later hurling stones and projectiles at officers, smashing cars and shop windows and erecting and subsequently burning barricades. Police repeatedly resorted to tear gas and water cannon to disperse the most violent demonstrators, The clashes resulted in numerous injuries, some very severe, among both police and protesters.
