France: Thousands of Yellow Vests hit streets again

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - Violence has erupted as thousands of Yellow Vest protesters flocked to streets again on Saturday across France, according to security forces.

Yellow Vests continued their protests in various French cities for a tenth consecutive week, despite a national debate launched Tuesday by the French President Emmanuel Macron to soothe the protesters' anger and address their demands.

During Saturday's demonstrations, at least 20 people have been detained only in Paris.

Demonstrators who gathered in the central Paris at noon chanted anti-Macron slogans and denounced the police violence against protesters.

Peaceful protests turned violence during the evening hours as police in Paris fired water cannon and tear gas to repel the protesters who reportedly throw stones and bottles at security forces.

The tensions between the police and the activists were also recorded in the northern Rouen and Caen cities, as well as in northwestern Rennes and eastern Lyon cities.

Around 7,000 demonstrators were registered in Paris and 27,000 across France, according to the French Ministry of Interior, while 84,000 people participated in the Yellow Vest protests last week.

Some 80,000 security forces were mobilized across the country.

- Yellow Vest protests

The Yellow Vest protests, which started as a reaction to fuel tax hikes and evolved into a protest against Macron, have continued despite the government’s call for them to halt.

Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have gathered in major French cities, including Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and deteriorating economic situation.

Demonstrators held protests blocking roads, as well as the entrances and exits to gas stations and factories across the country.

Under pressure, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and scuttled the tax hike.

Since then, however, the protests have grown into a broader movement aimed at tackling income inequality and are calling for giving citizens a stronger voice in government decision-making.

At least 10 people have died, around 6,000 others have been detained and over 2,000 others have been injured in the protests.