France are gearing up for a new round of widespread unrest in the capital city of Paris, where the deaths of around 8,000 police officers are put in readiness.
Grasrotbevegelsen “the yellow vestene” has for the fifth weekend in a row notified demonstrations against president Emmanuel Macron and government policies, which previously have ended with bilbranner, smashing shop windows, looting and fierce clashes with police.
Last weekend was 135 people injured and over 1,000 arrested, and this weekend French police prepared themselves even better.
OPPOSITION: More than 1700 people were arrested during the last major protests in France. Saturday was to be the 21 people arrested along the way to the demonstration. Here, at a previous demonstration. Video: AP via NTB Scanpix. Clip: Ørjan Ryland / Dagbladet Show more Show more Show more Vandalism and looting
Last weekend we were in the store and it’s all dealing with “the yellow vestene”, but we also were witness to the burglary and looting committed by criminals. Our goal is to manage this better, ” says the police chief in Paris, Michel Delpuech to the radio station RTL.
Heavily armed riot police watched in the morning hours on Saturday, railway stations and the grandest street of the Champs-Élysées, where the exclusive shops had put limbs in front of windows to prevent a new batch of vandalism and looting.
21 people were according to the police arrested on the way to the demonstration, it is uncertain on what basis.
HEAVILY ARMED: Protesters with yellow vests talking with heavily armed politibetjenter in Paris on Saturday. Photo: AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu Show more Extensive movement
“The yellow vestene” began as a protest against increased fuel surcharges, but has developed into a wider movement with demands for better living conditions for ordinary frenchmen. At the same time requires protesters increased taxes for people with high income in order to equalize the economic differences.
While only a bare quarter of the French population is satisfied with the Macron, have opinion polls shown that over 70 per cent support “the yellow vestene” – despite the destruction and the riots that some of the protesters standing behind.
Macron has already fallen in to pressure to drop the planned increase in drivstoffavgiftene that triggered the protests. Avgiftsøkningen was intended as an environmental measure to cut the CO2-emissions from road traffic.
