Violent protest engulfs central Paris; worst riot in decade

Source: Washington Examiner | December 1, 2018 | Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The most violent urban riots in a decade engulfed the French capital on Saturday, as “yellow jacket” protesters torched cars, smashed windows, looted stores and tagged the Arc de Triomphe in Paris with multi-colored graffiti.

Protesters angry about rising taxes and the high cost of living clashed with riot police, who closed off some of the city’s most popular tourist areas and fired tear gas and water cannon in running street battles with activists dressed in the fluorescent yellow vests of a new protest movement.

It was the third straight weekend of clashes in Paris and the worst urban violence since at least 2005. Hours later, cars still smoldered and law enforcement and protesters were still facing off elsewhere in the capital.

The scene contrasted sharply with protests elsewhere in France, where demonstrations and road blockades Saturday were largely peaceful.

Paris police said at least 92 people, including 20 police officers, were injured in the violent protests in the French capital and 224 others were arrested. Thousands of police were deployed to try to contain the mayhem.

Deputy Interior minister Laurent Nunez said police were facing “violent extremists” in Paris who had hijacked the protest.

“We are facing troublemakers who are targeting the symbols of the state,” he told BFM television.

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In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership, saying his government does not care about ordinary people. The grassroots protests began with motorists upset over a fuel tax hike, but now involve a broad range of demands related to France’s high cost of living.

Some of the protests appear to have been taken over by more radical far-right or far-left groups.

French authorities said they counted 75,000 protesters Saturday across the country, including 5,500 in Paris, numbers that were less than last week’s protest but produced much more violence.

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