PARIS (AP) — Scattered yellow vest protesters clashed with French police firing tear gas Saturday after a peaceful march through Paris, but a tougher security measures and protest bans in high-risk neighborhoods prevented the kind of rioting that devastated the city a week ago.
The yellow vest movement, which backs greater support for struggling French workers and retirees, appeared diminished Saturday after last week’s destruction and violence further alienated supporters. The protests started four months ago, targeting French President Emmanuel Macron and the economic elite they feel he epitomizes.
Thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully through Paris — their 19th straight weekend of protests — ending up at the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral overlooking the city from the tourist-heavy Montmartre neighborhood.
Protesters sprayed yellow flares and unfurled a neon banner from atop the cathedral’s white dome. In a relaxed mood, demonstrators and tourists alike took selfies as the march wound down.
Later, however, tensions erupted as small clusters of masked protesters set garbage cans on fire and threw projectiles as they moved toward Republique Plaza in eastern Paris. Helmeted riot police fired volleys of tear gas in response.
Small groups of demonstrators and police also clashed in the southern French cities of Nice and Montpellier. Nice was placed under high security measures as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to stay overnight on Sunday as part of his state visit to France.
Overall, Saturday’s protests were smaller and calmer than a week ago, when resurgent violence reminded France’s government that they’ve failed to quell yellow vest anger. Luxury shops were looted and ransacked last weekend around the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris and some were set on fire by protesters.
This week, the French Interior Ministry estimated 8,300 protesters nationwide, including 3,100 in Paris. There were about 10,000 in Paris alone last week.
French authorities banned protests from the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris and the central neighborhoods of several other cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice in the south, and Rouen in western France.
The Champs-Elysees was almost empty Saturday except for a huge police presence. Fear of more violence certainly kept tourists away, and police shut down the Champs-Elysees subway stations as a precaution.
Paris police detained 70 people by late afternoon, issued fines to people defying protest bans in certain neighborhoods, and conducted nearly 7,000 “preventive checks” on people entering the capital.
The new Paris police chief, Didier Lallement, who took charge this week following the destruction wrought by last week’s protests, said specific police units were created to react faster to any violence.
About 6,000 police officers were deployed in the capital on Saturday and two drones helped monitor the demonstrations. French authorities also deployed soldiers to protect sensitive sites, allowing police forces to focus on maintaining order.
That decision prompted criticism from opposition leaders and some protesters.
“Since when do soldiers face a population? We are here in France. You would say that we are here in (North) Korea or in China. I never saw something like this,” said Christelle Camus, a protester from a southern suburb of Paris.
Polls suggest last week’s violence dampened public support for the yellow vests — but that a majority of French people still agree with the protesters’ anger over France’s stagnant economy.
Saturday’s marchers held signs demanding more say for citizens in public policy and denouncing “repressive measures” by Macron’s government. One group of women carried a banner reading “Soldiers, policemen, disobey and join us = United against this mafia.”
“We come to protest in a calm manner. We have the right to express ourselves, to say that we want to live (decently),” said Celine Dutry, who came to Paris to protest from the northern city of Amiens — Macron’s hometown. “We are not jealous of the rich.”
The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader rejection of Macron’s economic policies, which protesters say favor businesses and the wealthy over ordinary French workers. Macron countered by dropping the fuel tax hike and holding months of discussions with the public on France’s stagnant wages, high taxes and high unemployment.
The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.
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Milos Krivokapic and Chris den Hond in Paris contributed to this report.
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