Huge plumes of smoke were seen on one of France’s most iconic streets today, as protesters burned large plywood sheets, chairs and other material in demonstrations against planned fuel hikes.
A water cannon and rounds of tear gas were also used by riot police against thousands of French ‘Yellow Vest’ fuel protesters in Paris today as the Champs Elysee was reduced to a battlefield.
The grassroots movement is campaigning against what it believes to be a general decline in living standards across the country, and the recent decision to raise fuel prices.
The worst violence took place on the most famous avenue in the city where a huge crowd called for President Emmanuel Macron to resign.
By 11 am, clouds of tear gas covered the Champs Elysee, and especially the area close to the place de la Concorde.
A protester is seen next to a burning barricade during the protest in which there were violent clashes between demonstrators and police
Police vans are seen behind a burning barricade during a ‘Yellow vest’ protests against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris today
A ‘yellow vests’ protester throw rocks to riot police during a protest against rising oil prices on the Champs Elysees in Paris
A protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask takes a defiant pose during the protest with his arms outstretched
A yellow vest protestor looks on as a barricade set up to block streets in Paris burns
The riots over rising fuel costs plunged Paris into chaos as police struggle to maintain order. The picture shows a protester as the fire burns
Police officers armed with baton round guns and riot shields advance on protesters in central Paris as demonstrations turned violent and clashed with police
Protesters lit flares during the protests. The Yellow Vests – gilets jaunes in French – are named after the high visibility jackets that they wear, and are conducting a grassroots campaign against escalating petrol and diesel prices
A firefighter attempts to extinguish this burning vehicle. Several thousand demonstrators, wearing high-visibility yellow jackets, had gathered on the avenue as part of protests which began on November 17
A young demonstrator sits against a wall covered in blood as a someone sprays water from a bottle on his face to clean the wounds
A man throws a bike in a burning truck during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees
A demonstrator holds a flare on a barricade on the Champs-Elysees avenue during a demonstration against the rising of the fuel taxes
Demonstrators hold a banner reading ‘Macron, destitution, government resignation, system, abolition’ next to a burning barricade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue
Police tried to push back the protesters, at times beating back demonstrators with baton strikes and dragging them away
Protesters stand in front of a fire of furniture during a protest of Yellow vests against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees
Protesters shout slogans as material burns during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees in Paris today
A demonstrator throws debris at a burning barricade while protesting with others against the rising of the fuel taxes on the famed Champs Elysees avenue, in Paris
Officers take their positions during clashes with demonstrators protesting with others against the rising of the fuel taxes, on the famed Champs Elysees avenue, in Paris
Plumes of smoke are seen the Champs-Elysees avenue decorated with the Christmas lightings during a protest against tax
Protesters are showered by a water cannon near the Place de la Concorde in Paris today as demonstrators clashed with police in central Paris
A man holds a bandage to his head as blood pours from a head wound following violent clashes between protesters and police in central Paris
Riot police stand in a cloud of tear gas as protesters light bonfires in central Paris today
Two motorbikes burn in the middle of a Paris backstreet after clashed between fuel protesters and police rage throughout Saturday up and down the country
By mid-afternoon, 106,000 protesters had been counted across France, compared with about 244,000 at the same time last week, figures from the interior ministry showed.
Around 8,000 took to the streets in Paris, with about 5,000 on the Champs-Elysees.
‘They included hooded demonstrators who were determined to cause trouble,’ said a police officer at the scene.
‘We’ve been forced to deploy a water cannon and used tear gas to stop them getting to a secure zone.
‘They’re breaking up traffic obstacles to create missiles to throw at us. It’s getting very violent.’
The zone included the Elysee Palace – Mr. Macron’s official home – and the Place de la Concorde, opposite the National Assembly, France’s parliament.
The Yellow Vests – gilets jaunes in French – are named after the high visibility jackets that they wear, and are conducting a grassroots campaign against escalating petrol and diesel prices.
A hundred and thirty people were arrested, 42 of those in Paris, and 24 people were injured, five of them police officers including one who suffered burns to his groin, the city police department and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.
Elsewhere, protesters took over highway toll booths to let traffic pass for free, or held go-slow vehicle processions, underlining one of their core complaints of escalating taxes on car fuel, especially diesel.
Water cannon and rounds of tear gas were also used by riot police against thousands of French ‘Yellow Vest’ fuel protesters in Paris today as the Champs Elysee was reduced to a battlefield
Protesters shout slogans at riot police near the Place de la Concorde in Paris against rising oil prices and living costs as police fired tear gas and water cannons
A woman covers her mouth as clouds of tear gas engulf a crowd of protesters during demonstrations against higher fuel prices which descended into clashes with police on the Champs Elysee as part of a nationwide march in Paris
A protester waves a French flag on the A6 motorway in Villefranche-sur-Saone as more than 100,000 demonstrates gathered across France
Grafitti ‘Brigitte wife of a policeman’ – which refers to the wife of the French president Emmanuel Macron – adorns a traffic barrier on the Champs Elysees in Paris
Passers-by walk by a board tagged with “Macron resign, take the arms” on the Champs-Elysees avenue in the aftermath of the protests
A week ago, two people died and over 750 people, including 136 police officers, were injured in sometimes violent demonstrations that have shone a light on frustrations in many rural areas and small towns of France.
The ‘yellow vests’ hail overwhelmingly from non-urban areas of France and feel they have been overlooked and penalized by policies they see as being pushed through by elitist politicians in Paris.
Former investment banker Macron was elected on a pledge to put more money in workers’ pockets, but the effects of his pro-business reforms on unemployment and purchasing power have been limited so far.
Many of the often low-income ‘yellow vest’ protesters are particularly incensed at his decision to hike anti-pollution taxes on diesel while scrapping a wealth tax on the rich.
Protester Catherine Marguier said at a pay booth on the A81 motorway near the village of La Gravelle in northwest France: ‘I’m not just fighting against the price of fuel. It’s about tax, what we pay.
‘People can’t handle it anymore. We need to change the government, the people at the top’, she s
A masked yellow vest (Gilets jaunes) protestor poses on a scooter near The Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees
A demonstrator throws debris at a burning barricade while protesting with others against the rising of the fuel taxes on the famed Champs Elysees avenue, in Paris
Yellow vest protesters throw material onto a fire on the Champs-Elysees in Paris today as tensions in the French capital grew
The Yellow Vests – gilets jaunes in French – are named after the high visibility jackets that they wear, and are conducting a grassroots campaign against escalating petrol and diesel prices
Wood and debris was piled onto bonfires in the middle of the Champs Elysees in Paris today as 106,000 protesters across France demonstrated against rising fuel taxes
Officers take their positions during clashes with demonstrators protesting against the rising of the fuel taxes on the famed Champs Elysees avenue, in Paris
Some 3000 police were on the streets of central Paris today, where the protesters pledged to bring the city to a standstill
A woman is lying on the ground with a French flag during clashes with the police forces during a demonstration on the Champs Elysee as part of a nationwide protest in Paris today
A child covers his eyes to protect himself from tear gas. People wearing yellow vests as a symbol of French driver’s and citizen’s protest against higher fuel prices are affected by tear gas during clashes with the police
Demonstrators set up a burning barricade on the Champs-Elysees avenue during a demonstration against the rising of the fuel taxes
Senior French ministers have slammed the ‘radicalization’ and ‘anarchy’ involved, claiming far-right and hard-left elements have hijacked the protests.
Two road deaths have been linked with them so far – both at illegal roadblocks set up by the Yellow Vests.
At least 19 people, including four police officers, were slightly hurt and one person had more serious injuries in the day of unrest in Paris, according to police.
Macron responded in a strongly worded tweet: ‘Shame on those who attacked [police]. Shame on those who were violent against other citizens … No place for this violence in the Republic.’
Police said that dozens of protesters were detained for ‘throwing projectiles,’ among other acts. By nightfall, the Champs-Elysees was smoldering and in the Place de la Madeleine, burned scooters lay on the sidewalk like blackened shells.
Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres, said: ‘It’s going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we’re all ready.
‘They take everything from us. They steal everything from us,’ said 21-year-old Laura Cordonnier.
The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon – owing to the color of the vests the self-styled ‘yellow jacket’ protesters don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles.
Protesters hold French flags during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees
Yellow vests (Gilet jaune) protesters shout slogans from a barricade as they clash with riot police near the Place de la Concorde in Paris
Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) protesters stand behind a burning barricade during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs as night falls on the Champs Elysees in Paris
Yellow vest (Gilet jaune) protesters are seen through a damaged hoarding as they throw material onto a fire on the Champs-Elysees in Paris and film they aftermath on their mobile phones
A protester holds a French flag during a ‘Yellow vest’ protests against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris
A demonstrator holds a flare on the Champs-Elysees avenue as central Paris descended into violence
A protester wearing a yellow vest, a symbol of a French drivers’ protest against higher fuel prices, gestures during riots
Demonstrators throw stones at police forces past a burning barricade on the Champs-Elysees avenue during a demonstration against the rising of the fuel taxes
Thousands of police have been deployed nationwide to contain the demonstrations, including a tense protest at the foot of the Champs-Elysees where protesters upturned a large vehicle
There have also been 553 woundings, 17 of them serious. More than 95 police have been hurt in a variety of disturbances, including an attempt to storm the Elysee Palace last weekend.
Some 3000 police were on the streets of central Paris today, where the protesters pledged to bring the city to a standstill.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner blamed the unrest on far-right agitators who ignored a ban on demonstrations in the area and who threw projectiles at security forces.
The protest movement began a week ago when hundreds of thousands of protesters wearing high-visibility yellow vests blockaded roads in a largely spontaneous outpouring of anger about higher diesel taxes.
There was still potential for the enduring anger to snowball into a major stand-off between the government and opponents of Macron’s pro-business agenda who are voicing a wider range of grievances.
However, this time, while there was a major disruption on roads across the country, turnout was lower than a week ago and a call from protest leaders to block the capital looked to have failed.
A demonstrator waves the French flag onto a burning barricade on the Champs-Elysees avenue with the Arc de Triomphe in background
Demonstrators invade the Champs-Elysees avenue during a demonstration against the rising of the fuel taxes
French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Paris Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron’s presidency
Riot police stand in front of a fire near the place de la Concorde in Paris, where ‘yellow vest’ protesters were demanding the French president roll back tax hikes on motor fuel
Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) protesters stand behind a burning barricade during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs as night falls on the Champs Elysees
Protesters stand behind a burning barricade during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs as night falls on the Champs Elysees
There have also been 553 woundings, 17 of them serious. More than 95 police have been hurt in a variety of disturbances, including an attempt to storm the Elysee Palace last weekend. Despite this, protesters continued to gather in the city today (pictured)
The Champ de Mars – the field next to the Eiffel Tower – had been set aside by the Paris authorities for the demonstration, but it was ignored by the protesters
The Champ de Mars – the field next to the Eiffel Tower – had been set aside by the Paris authorities for the demonstration, but it was ignored by the protesters
Running battles were taking place between mobile squads of CRS police, and the demonstrators, as objects were thrown between the two.
The Champ de Mars – the field next to the Eiffel Tower – had been set aside by the Paris authorities for the demonstration, but it was ignored by the protesters.
‘We’re not here to do what officials tell us,’ said Max Lefevre, a 22-year-old student taking part in the demonstrations.
‘We’re here to oppose a government that is completely out of touch with the lives of ordinary people. This is a people’s revolt.’
Several thousand had gathered by early Saturday on the famous Champs-Elysees where they clashed with police trying to prevent them from moving down to the Place de la Concorde near the Louvre museum.
Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) protesters stand near burning material during a protest against rising oil prices and living costs as night falls near The Arc de Triomphe
A bulldozer levels the barricade in the aftermath of the protest against the rising of the fuel taxes
A smashed window of a shop is pictured at the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris in the aftermath of the violent protest
A water cannon and rounds of tear gas were used by riot police against the thousands of French ‘Yellow Vest’ fuel protesters in Paris today
French police fired tear gas and water cannons at ‘yellow vest’ protesters in Paris
Last week a woman died and more than 400 people were hurt in a day and night of ‘yellow vest’ protests over rising fuel price hikes across France
A demonstrator stands by a fire on the Champs-Elysees avenue, during a protest against tax. French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Paris, as thousands gathered in the capital and beyond and staged road blockades
Protesters lay on the ground on the Champs Elysees, in Paris on November 24, 2018, during a national rally initiated by the Yellow vests
Police said the protesters had tried to break through a cordon several times but had been prevented from doing so, with tear gas used more than once.
‘We have just demonstrated peacefully, and we were teargassed,’ said Christophe, 49, who traveled from the Isere region in eastern France with his wife to protest in the capital. ‘We see how we are welcomed in Paris.’
Police said Saturday’s incidents were linked to the ‘presence of members of the far-right who harassed the security forces.’
Tensions have been mounting around the grassroots movement that drew more than a quarter million people a week ago to protests across France, from Provence to Normandy and in between.
Mr. Macron has insisted that fuel prices have to rise in line with green initiatives made necessary by the Paris Climate Change agreement.
He said there would be ‘no possibility’ of his government backing down in the face of disturbances.
A bulldozer clears away the debris strewn across the Parisian streets in the aftermath of the protest
Some protesters wore masks as they marched around Paris today, campaigning against a recent hike in fuel prices
Plumes of smoke are seen on the Champs-Elysees avenue as French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators today
Riot policemen walk next to a burnt truck during a protest of Yellow vests against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe where security forces in Paris fired tear gas and water cannon
Mr. Macron has insisted that fuel prices have to rise in line with green initiatives made necessary by the Paris Climate Change agreement. But protesters continue to campaign against the price hikes
Macron has so far held strong and insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments – a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation.
He will defend fresh plans to make the ‘energy transition’ easier next week.
The ‘yellow vests’ hail overwhelmingly from non-urban areas of France. They are strident about feeling overlooked and penalized by policies they see as being pushed through by elitist politicians in Paris.
Former investment banker Macron was elected on a pledge to put more money in workers’ pockets. But the effects of his pro-business reforms on unemployment and purchasing power have been limited so far.
Many of the often low-income ‘yellow vest’ protesters are particularly incensed at his decision to hike anti-pollution taxes on diesel while scrapping a wealth tax on the rich.
‘I’m not just fighting against the price of fuel. It’s about tax, what we pay,’ protester Catherine Marguier told AFP at a pay booth on the A81 motorway near the village of La Gravelle in northwest France.
‘People can’t handle it anymore. We need to change the government, the people at the top,’ she said.
Around her, hundreds of ‘yellow vests’ had commandeered the booth and were allowing motorists to pass through for free.
Policemen stand beside a burning trailer on the Champs-Elysees during a ‘Yellow vest’ protests against higher fuel prices in Paris
Protestors of the yellow vest movement lie on the ground while holding a placard that reads ‘we won’t leave at night without fighting’ on the Champs Elysees
A demonstrator shows his yellow jacket as smoke billows in the background during a protest against the rising of the fuel taxes, on the Champs-Elysees Avenue
Yellow vests (Gilet jaune) protesters shout slogans as they march with a banner which reads as ‘elected officials you will be held accountable’ on the Champs-Elysees
Some 3000 police were on the streets of central Paris today, where the protesters pledged to bring the city to a standstill. Two road deaths have been linked with the protests so far – both at illegal roadblocks set up by the Yellow Vests
Protesters and police are seen clashing on the Champs Elysee as part of a nationwide protest in Paris against higher fuel prices. The Yellow Vests – gilets jaunes in French – are named after the high visibility jackets that they wear, and are conducting a grassroots campaign against escalating petrol and diesel prices
Protesters recorded the carnage as vehicles and furniture was set on fire in main roads and back streets of central Paris today
‘We’re not there to be fleeced,’ read the slogan on one banner.
Revolts against taxes have been a feature of French public life for centuries. Citizens still pay some of the highest in Europe as a percentage of GDP, and fuel-price protests are a common modern occurrence.
Previous rounds pitting the government against drivers took place in 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2008, often when tax increases coincided with high oil prices – as they have this year.
For political analyst Jean-Yves Camus, the French tend to rise up against taxes in particular when they feel the country’s revered public services are failing them.
‘The acceptance of taxes is based on the notion of redistribution,’ he said. ‘It declines when public services recede, the safety nets dwindle, and the gap between rich and poor increases.’
Opposition parties on the hard left and right have cheered on the protesters.
A poll by the Adoxa research group for Le Figaro newspaper this week found that 77 percent of respondents described it as ‘justified’.
A protester wearing a yellow vest, a symbol of a French drivers’ protest against higher fuel prices, fires a flare during clashes on the Champs-Elysees
A passer-by walks past a burning barricade set on fire by demonstrators in an adjacent street to the famed Champs Elysees avenue, during a protest against the rising of the fuel taxes
A policeman running during a ‘Yellow vest’ protests against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysees today
Riot police run during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees
Riot police run during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs near the Arc of Triomphe on the Champs Elysees in Paris
Castaner blamed the clashes on the Champs-Elysees on far-right leader Marine Le Pen. The police were facing groups ‘who notably had responded to the call of Marine Le Pen and want to attack the country’s institutions just as they want to attack [government] lawmakers,’ the minister said.
Le Pen rejected the remarks, saying she had never called for violence and claiming the government was trying to make her the scapegoat.
‘We have just demonstrated peacefully, and we were teargassed,’ said Christophe, 49, who traveled from the Isere region in eastern France with his wife to protest in the capital. ‘We see how we are welcomed in Paris.’
Macron, who is under pressure to tackle pollution ahead of European Parliament elections next year in which the environment is expected to feature prominently, has refused to back down on taxing polluters.
But with his ratings languishing at record lows of under 30 percent, he has sought to present a more empathetic side.
‘We have heard the message of citizens,’ one of his aides said on Thursday.
Some protesters build barricades with objects found in nearby homes. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon. Several thousand demonstrators, wearing high-visibility yellow jackets, had gathered on the avenue as part of protests
Paving stones were uprooted during repeated clashes between protesters and French police, hurling rocks and building barricades across the road
Protesters take part in a demonstration on the A6 motorway in Villefranche-sur-Saone where demonstrators blocked French roads over the past week dressed in high-visibility jackets, were set to cause another day of disruption
Security forces in Paris fired tear gas and water cannon on demonstrators with flares and bonfires lit across Paris
A yellow vest (Gilets jaunes) protestor stands on a hoist and waives a banner near The Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees in Paris
Participants walk with placards reading ‘nous toutes’, meaning ‘we all’, as they take part in a rally in Paris today
The French government cast blame for the unruly protests on the extreme right and ‘seditionists’ it claimed were egged on by far-right politician Marine Le Pen.
But Le Pen rejected that. And opposition parties on both the right and the left hit back that the government was trying to reduce the protests to just the sporadic scenes of violence, and turning a deaf ear to the demonstrators’ grievances.
Although Castaner seized on the ‘marked weakening’ of the protest movement compared with a week earlier, the enduring anger of the repeat demonstrations carried the risk of snowballing into a major stand-off between the government and opponents of Macron’s pro-business agenda.
Tense clashes on the Champs-Elysees on Saturday saw police face off with demonstrators who burned plywood, wielded placards reading ‘Death to Taxes’ and upturned a large vehicle.
At least eight people, including two police officers, were injured in the day of unrest across France, according to authorities. Police said that dozens of protesters were detained in Paris for ‘throwing projectiles,’ among other acts.
Revolts against taxes have been a feature of French public life for centuries. Citizens still pay some of the highest in Europe as a percentage of GDP, and fuel-price protests are a common modern occurrence.
Previous rounds pitting the government against drivers took place in 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2008, often when tax increases coincided with high oil prices – as they have this year.
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