Thousands of yellow-jacketed protesters marched into the streets of French cities on Thursday for the fifth consecutive weekend of protests against President Emmanuel Macaron's government, despite calls for non-demonstration after an armed attack in Strasbourg last week. .
In detail, the Interior Ministry reported that 33,500 demonstrators from "yellow jackets" were deployed throughout France, while the number of detainees rose to 107, with groups of hundreds of protesters moving in marches in several neighborhoods.
A police official said security forces had arrested 85 people in Paris, where groups of hundreds of protesters moved in marches in several neighborhoods.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said some 69,000 police had been deployed to secure the protests yesterday and that troops had been reinforced in the cities of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne.
French police clashed with the "yellow" jackets. Hundreds of protesters marched near the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris, amid intense security.
Protesters waved flags and held banners, and the police tried to prevent their progress, firing tear gas when clashes broke out.
In Paris, police deployed in large numbers to contain the violence. But several major stores, such as Galeries Lafayette, opened their doors to shoppers ahead of Christmas celebrations.
"There is still a concern that violence-prone groups may infiltrate the protests, and riot police will protect important landmarks and remove protesters from the presidential palace," said police chief Michelle Delpeich. "Deliberych told RTL radio: We prepare for the worst scenarios. "
A police source said the number of demonstrators was lower than in the past.
Security forces, equipped with riot gear, deployed yesterday morning around central train stations and along the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées.
Security forces fired tear gas at small groups of protesters during clashes near Champs-Elysées.
Nearby, a few women from the women's protest group Femin faced security forces just a few meters from the Elysee Palace, where the president's residence is located.
"Today's protest is smaller than in recent weeks, but the movement will continue until complaints from the protesters are processed," said Loik Pollay, 44, who was walking in the Champs-Elysees wearing a yellow jacket.
"The situation has calmed down since the Strasbourg attack, but I think that the next Saturday and the next Saturday will see the return of the protests to the former era."
The "yellow jackets" movement began to protest at intersections and fields in mid-November, protesting the increase in fuel taxes, but soon expanded the protests against Macaron's economic policies.
Weekend protests in Paris led to sabotage and violent clashes with security forces.
"France needs calm, order and a return to normalcy," he said after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
In a televised speech on Monday, Macaron announced raising the minimum wage and cutting taxes on pensioners, making more concessions to end the protests, but many said they would continue to press.
The demonstrations came days after a gunman opened fire on a group of people in a Christmas gift market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, killing four people and injuring several others. Police killed the gunman in an exchange of fire Thursday, two days after the chase.