For this Saturday, the new Paris police chief had banned demonstrations of yellow vests in several places in the metropolis. These included the famous Champs-Élysées and the adjacent streets, the Place de l'Étoile with the Arc de Triomphe, the area around the official residence of head of state Emmanuel Macron, and the National Assembly.

Despite the restrictions, the followers of the yellow vests movement took to the streets. They demonstrated in Paris and in other French cities. The radio station Franceinfo reported that there were several demonstrations in the capital alone, more than 30 people were provisionally arrested. As the French "Libération" reports, the protest took place in Paris along the route approved by the authorities. There were also demonstrations and arrests in Nice.

Valery Hache / AFP

A demonstrator collides with the police in Nice on Saturday

The ban imposed by the chief constable in Paris was based on the violence in recent protests. A week ago, the protests had led to serious riots. On the Champs-Elysées rioters had destroyed many shops and partly set fire to it.

In order to prevent further violence and looting, the police prohibited demonstrations and rallies in certain parts of the cities in Paris as well as in Toulouse and Nice. To justify the ban in Nice, it was said that riots should be avoided before Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit on Sunday.

Macron ordered the deployment of anti-terror forces from the army to protect the police in Paris on Saturday in Paris to protect public buildings and other facilities. The opposition criticized the government for equating the yellow-vests with terrorists.

Christoph Petit Tesson / EPA-EFE / REX

Protesters on Saturday in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

This is the 19th weekend in a row that the movement is protesting against the reform policies of President Macron's middle-class government. The yellow vests demand more social justice, higher pensions and the reintroduction of wealth tax. Some of them want to run for the European elections in May.