"Yellow West - Black Rage": Tens of thousands of people in France's cities have participated in the "Yellow West" protests against the government for the tenth consecutive Saturday. With this they spoke out against the "civil dialogue" started by Prime Minister Emmanuel Macrons. Nationwide, 80,000 police officers were on duty, again using tear gas and water cannons.
Macron had launched a nationwide "Citizen Dialogue" this week to "turn anger into solutions." For this he formulated 35 key questions. In addition, if there were "smart questions" and issues not foreseen by him, they would also be accepted, said the 41-year-old head of state.
But confidence in the president has already been lost in many protesters. "Dizziness" is on some posters. The reason for this is the increasing number of serious injuries caused by police violence. The collective "Désarmons-les!" ("Disarm them") listed 98 cases, including 15 people who lost their eyes to hard rubber bullets. The police say they have been attacked by demonstrators.
Central claims leave Macron unnoticed
In addition, Macron ignored the central claims of the "yellow vests" - such as higher pensions, better purchasing power or a reintroduction of wealth tax. Among other things, they remind of the desolate state of health care and poor transport links in the countryside.
At the end of an initially peaceful march through Paris, there were finally clashes with police. They used water cannons and tear gas against masked demonstrators throwing rocks and bottles. There were also riots in Rennes and Lyon.
According to the Interior Ministry, around 84,000 people participated in the protests nationwide. In Toulouse alone, there were, according to official figures, a record participation of 10,000 activists.
Until 15 March, the French can participate in the "Citizens Dialogue" in the communities and on the Internet. By mid-April - six weeks before the European elections - the president wants to present results. According to a poll, 70 percent of citizens expect no improvement from the debate.