Several hundred "yellow vests" marched this Saturday in Paris, despite the recommendations of the government which has prohibited gatherings of more than 100 people and calls to postpone the demonstrations to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
At the end of the day, the police had carried out 79 arrests after clashes in the south of the capital, as well as on “wild processions”, tweeted the Paris police headquarters. "Fires were started" on the course of the demonstration, notes the prefecture.
#manifestations
No, these are not tensions ...
... but violence against #FDO https://t.co/4nLtIHCmup
Trash lights
The prefect of police asked the organizers to call for the dispersal of the demonstration before the procession came to an end for reasons of "violence and degradations committed since (the) morning along the route".
After the dispersal, the police and firefighters again intervened in the 13th arrondissement to put out trash fires and disperse "recalcitrant groups", according to the prefecture.
FHFH
"No respect for the law"
"Those who do not respect the police do not show more respect for the rules and common sense guidelines in the face of the coronavirus epidemic," said Frédéric Lagache, general delegate of the Alliance union. "We knew that they had no respect for the law, they thereby demonstrate that they have no civility or sense of responsibility by being able to endanger the community," he added, saying his "deep disgust".
Friday, two figures of the movement, Jérôme Rodrigues and Maxime Nicolle, had however called for "responsibility" in the face of the health crisis and invited to give up this demonstration between Montparnasse station and Bercy, declared in prefecture.
Authorized events
The government had decided not to ban the demonstrations, but invited to systematically "postpone" them, said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Friday.
Like every weekend, the prefecture of police issued a decree prohibiting people claiming to be "yellow vests" from demonstrating in a perimeter including the institutions, but also the Champs-Elysées, Saint-Lazare station, Les Halles and the department stores.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Friday that the government was lowering the size limit for gatherings in France to 100 people, instead of 1,000 previously, to "slow down" the spread of the coronavirus. This Saturday evening, more severe measures were announced, such as the closure of non-essential businesses.
- Society