The first anniversary of the so-called yellow-voted protests in Paris has again led to massive riots. In the south of the French capital, vehicles and barriers went up in flames on Saturday, shop windows were smashed and barricades erected.
Police chief Didier Lallement spoke of "systematic attacks on security forces and firefighters". Most of the rioters were masked, only a few wore a yellow vest, the mark of yellow vests.
On the weekend of November 17, a year ago, the first major national protests of the yellow vests took place in France. They protested against social injustice and the policies of President Emmanuel Macron. Especially in Paris, there were always violent riots. In recent months, the movement lost much of its inflow. For the anniversary, nationwide, numerous campaigns are planned for the yellow vests over the entire weekend.
The police wanted to prevent riots as in the past. Demonstrations are forbidden on the boulevard Champs-Élysées and other places in the capital. Many metro stations in Paris are closed on weekends. The police confiscated fireworks, helmets and gas masks during their inspections. Several people were arrested.
In the south of Paris, on the Place d'Italie, the situation escalated rapidly in the morning. Hooded men fought a real street fight with the security forces. The police used tear gas and water cannons, as shown on television pictures. A large shopping center on Place d'Italie remained closed. Police chief Lallement stressed that the violence was committed by people who had not come to defend a cause.
In the afternoon, a registered demonstration train was supposed to start from the Place d'Italie. The police demanded the cancellation of the demo. Lallement encouraged the demonstrators to leave. He stressed that the Paris police have the situation under control. Although the pictures of the Place d'Italie are spectacular, the rest of the capital is quiet.
In the morning a few hundred yellow vests briefly blocked the Paris ring road in the northwest of the city. The police quickly resolved the blockade. Also at the Porte de Champerret and the Place de Clichy in the north of Paris gathered numerous demonstrators. They moved there largely peacefully through the streets. Other regions of France also had demonstrations, most of them without incident.
In the past, rioters had repeatedly mixed in with the yellow vests. Many supporters of the movement peacefully occupied roundabouts and roads for the wedding of protests. The violence escalated several times in the capital, where there was a state of emergency on the first demonstration weekends.
