Zakaria Abdelkafi, AFP | The government has attributed the violence to extreme elements who have infiltrated the movement from the left and right of the political spectrum. Paris on Saturday saw a second ultra-violent Yellow Vest protest. Although the rioting has been blamed on extreme elements who have infiltrated the movement, some Yellow Vests have now accepted it as legitimate to achieve their goals, an expert says. Advertising Read more For most, the March 16 violence in Paris dropped like a bomb shell: After weeks of weaker participation and the once-a-week rallies being contained by security forces without any major incidents, France’s Yellow Vest movement was being described as running out of steam. “Act XVIII” of the protests, however, showed that the Yellow Vests had not given up, and resulted in France’s emblematic Champs-Élysées boulevard being left in a pile of broken glass and flames. The government has attributed the violence to extreme elements – so-called casseurs – who have infiltrated the movement from both the left and the right side of the political spectrum. "Today's actions are not the work of protesters, but of looters, arsonists and criminals. No cause justifies this violence," Prime Minister Édouard Philippe tweeted after visiting the scene of the destruction. While some Yellow Vests continue to fully distance themselves from the violence, others now appear willing to let the ransacking slide. ‘Can’t say I’m sorry’ “It’s been 18 weeks and we haven’t been listened to,” a Yellow Vest participant named John, from the eastern city of Nancy, was cited as telling French daily Le Monde on the sidelines of the demonstration. “Before, they [the extremists) scared everyone, but now we see it as an advantage. They are the ones who get things moving forward, we are being too pacifist ourselves.” Sixty-year-old Isabelle from Essonne, agreed: “If I was younger, I’d join the clashes too. The biggest violence is that of the government, the one that is triggering the anger.” Of the near 10,000 Yellow Vests who gathered for the protests, police said that a staggering 1,500 extremists had been identified. Some 240 people were also arrested on Saturday. The shop windows of Boss, Etam, Nike, Swarowski and numerous other boutiques lining the boulevard were shattered during the demonstration and 11 people suffered minor injuries after the famed brasserie Le Fouquet was set alight, along with a bank and several news kiosks. Police said 42 protesters, 17 officers and one firefighter were also injured. “Up until now, I’ve intervened whenever I’ve seen damage being carried out during the demonstrations, but now, I just think to myself ‘too bad’,” 39-year old Jennifer, from the Western city of Rouen, said. “When I saw them attack Le Fouquet– the symbol of oligarchy – I can’t say I was satisfied, but I can’t say I was sorry either.” New attitude According to French sociologist Michel Wieviorka, some Yellow Vests have – since their first demonstration four months ago – gradually changed their attitude towards the use of violence during their rallies. “Some feel that the violence is legitimate – that’s the big drama of what this whole movement has brought us,” he told broadcaster France Inter on Sunday, noting that it is the first time since the 1968 student riots in Paris that violence has returned as a legitimate mode of action. "The violence is the culmination of a movement which is unable to structure itself and define its leadership and which feels that its demands are less and less listened to," he said, but noted that the movement is increasingly being splintered into two separate groups. “At the road blocks, people are against the violence and have nothing to do with it, it’s a social movement… But at the same time there’s the Paris protests, on Saturdays, and the violence doesn’t have much to do with the road blocks, but the two fuel each other,” he said. Isolating the rioters Saturday’s riots were the worst to hit the capital since December 1, when Paris saw the most violent demonstration in decades, and which included severe vandalism to one of the country’s most respected landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe. That time, however, the Yellow Vest movement fully distanced itself from the violence and condemned it. Following the December riots, Macron’s government decided to scrap the diesel tax that was the trigger for the rise of the movement, but by the time it was announced, the Yellow Vests had already swelled into a broader movement protesting the president himself, his reforms and French elitism in general. This led to the 41-year-old leader announcing a concession package worth some €10 billion to boost the incomes of France’s poorest. He also launched a “national debate” meant to allow the French to have a greater say in France’s way forward. Saturday’s protest coincided with the end of the debates. Macron's move initially seemed to have worked, with the number of Yellow Vest protesters declining week by week and with public opinion gradually turning against the movement, but Saturday’s violence underscored the government’s challenge of finding a way to weed out the rioters from the protesters. The French president, who was forced to cut short a skiing trip in the Pyrénées to return to Paris for a crisis meeting, vowed to take "strong decisions" to prevent further violence. "There are people today who try by all means... to damage the Republic by breaking, by destroying things at the risk of killing someone," Macron said. Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>PARIS — Violence erupted on Saturday in Paris in the 18th weekend of “Yellow Vest” demonstrations as protesters targeted symbols of economic privilege, setting multiple fires and smashing a high-end restaurant on the Champs-Élysées, even as the crowd’s numbers dwindled from past rallies. Organizers for Saturday’s protests said on social media that they wanted the day to serve as an “ultimatum” to “the government and the powerful.” The size of the movement that started in November over a proposed gas tax increase and came to embody general discontent against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies has been shrinking from weekend to weekend. But protesters have maintained a continuous presence every Saturday.<doc-sep>Philippe Wojazer, Reuters | People take pictures of a newspaper kiosk burned during the latest "Yellow vest" protest on the Champs Elysées in Paris, France, on March 18, 2019. The government’s failure to keep Paris protests over the weekend from spiralling out of control has put a harsh spotlight on its law enforcement strategy, which makes avoiding injuries a priority even after hours of rampant destruction and looting. Advertising Read more Business owners on the iconic Champs-Elysees avenue were fuming Monday as French President Emmanuel Macron met with Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet to weigh their response to an 18th consecutive Saturday of “yellow vest” demonstrations. Some 5,000 police were deployed in the capital on Saturday, far outnumbering the several hundred black-clad rioters who caused havoc for more than seven hours. Yet TV footage often showed officers standing in formation while the protesters burned and pillaged dozens of stores, images that drew widespread criticism, including within police ranks. “You have to take responsibility and engage, with the possibility that people will get hurt,” said Frederic Lagache of the Alliance police union. For decades French authorities have usually preferred the opposite, putting down mass protests with tear gas and rubber bullets but avoiding physical clashes against large groups. “They would rather see a building damaged, with insurance companies footing the bill, than risk direct contact between police and demonstrators that might cause serious injuries or death,” said Olivier Cahn at France’s Cesdip law enforcement research institute. Macron has vowed “strong” measures to quell the violence, and has already pledged an anti-hooligan law that would let authorities pre-emptively detain protesters with a known history of violence. >> Riots on Champs-Élysées: Why violence has become ‘legitimate’ for some Yellow Vests But despite growing public exasperation with the weekly violence, few expect the government to risk a shift in tactics that could see police accused of using excessive force against a movement that still enjoys considerable support. “The idea seems to be, if the violence persists, you have to be more repressive,” Cahn said. “That doesn’t do anything except make the protesters even more determined,” he said. ‘Less reactive’ Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted on RTL radio on Monday that police “were less aggressive, less reactive than usual” over the weekend, promising a review of the instructions given to officers and their deployment. But critics say that after more than three months of weekly protests, the government needs more than pledges of determined action, and should drastically rethink its approach for stamping out the rioting. “There are techniques and strategies for separating violent demonstrators from the others,” Cahn said. “Germany has strategies for de-escalating the tensions and separating protesters that are quite effective,” he said. However French authorities have already been accused of a heavy-handed response to the yellow vest movement, which began in November over fuel taxes before ballooning into a sustained revolt against Macron. Dozens of protesters have already been injured in the clashes, including some who claim they have lost an eye after being struck with rubber bullets. Rights groups have tried to have the controversial “defensive ball launchers” (LBD) banned, noting that France is one of only a handful of Western countries to use them. But the government says they allow police to avoid potentially more risky contact with protesters hurling paving stones and wielding hammers and other makeshift weapons. Yet pressure is increasing to find a way of quelling the violence, especially when authorities are well aware that a hard core of protesters are determined to cause havoc again next Saturday. “Every Sunday large cities across France wake up to the same old story: smouldering barricades and a strident declaration from Christophe Castaner,” leftwing daily Liberation wrote Monday. (AFP) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>
Paris (AFP) - Rioters looted and torched shops and businesses on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Saturday, on the 18th weekend of French "yellow vest" protests, characterised by a sharp increase in violence after weeks of dwindling turnout. President Emmanuel Macron cut short a skiing trip in the Pyrenees to return to Paris for a crisis meeting, as hooded protesters went on the rampage in Paris, leaving a trail of destruction in the touristic heart of the city. He vowed to take "strong decisions" to prevent further violence, following the emergency talks held at the interior ministry late Saturday. "There are people today who try by all means... to damage the Republic by breaking, by destroying things at the risk of killing someone," Macron said. "All those who were there were complicit in" the havoc spread across the Champs-Elysees, he added. The police appeared overrun as protesters swarmed the Champs-Elysees, vandalising and later setting fire to Fouquet's brasserie, a favourite hangout of the rich and famous for the past century -- as well as luxury handbag store Longchamp, a bank, another restaurant and several news stands. The rioters also looted several clothing stores and set fire to barricades in scenes reminiscent of the worst yellow-vest riots in Paris in December. "Like the vast majority of French people, I feel very angry today," tweeted French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who visited the scene. "Today's actions are not the work of protesters, but of looters, arsonists and criminals. No cause justifies this violence," he added. In a statement, the national police denounced the "mindless violence, cowardly attacks" and stressed their determination to guarantee public order against "provocateurs and vandals". - Bank blaze - Saturday's turnout was seen a test of the ongoing strength of the movement, which began in November over fuel tax hikes and quickly ballooned into a rebellion against Macron's policies, seen by the protesters as geared towards the rich. Story continues In recent weeks, the protests have dwindled in size. But the interior ministry estimated the turnout in Paris Saturday at 10,000, out of around 32,300 nationwide. That is a fraction of the 282,000 people they said took part in the inaugural demonstrations across France on November 17, but more than the previous weekend. Saturday's protests were markedly more violent than in recent weeks. Police said close to 240 people were arrested, while prosecutors said more than 100 had been taken into custody. The bank set alight was on the ground floor of an apartment building, and fire firefighters had to quickly evacuate the residents, including a nine-month-old baby. Eleven people suffered minor injuries in the bank blaze, the fire service told AFP. The violence left 17 members of the police injured, and 42 protesters, said police. - 'Ultra-violent' minority - The rally coincides with the end of the public debates called by the president to try take the heat out of the protests and give voters a forum to propose policy changes. Around half a million people turned out at town hall-style meetings held around the country over the past two months. But many "yellow vests" dismissed the consultation exercise as a smoke-screen. On Saturday, the police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to try repel protesters who gathered at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe war memorial, which was sacked by protesters on December 1. But for seven hours they continued to be pelted with paving stones by mostly black-clad demonstrators. "There are a number of people who have come just to smash things," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said, estimating that some 1,500 "ultra-violent" activists had infiltrated the crowd. "We have been too nice, that's why it's violent today. I'm not in favour (of violence) but we are ruled by corrupt people who dare to lecture us," Jean-Francois Bernard, a landscape gardener who was among the protesters, told AFP. The presidency later announced that Macron was returning home from La Mongie ski resort where he and his wife Brigitte arrived Thursday to spend the weekend. - 'We want results' - Protesters streamed into the capital by train and car for a rally they called an "ultimatum" to the president. Over 5,000 police were deployed, along with several armoured police vehicles. Macron was caught off guard when grassroots protesters began occupying traffic roundabouts in November over fuel taxes. He has loosened the state's purse strings to the tune of 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) to try defuse the protests.