France: the "yellow vests" demonstrate again, more than 150 arrests in Paris

Demonstration of yellow vests in Paris, September 12, 2020. Alain JOCARD / AFP

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Almost two years after the first demonstrations, the "yellow vests" are back in the streets on September 12 after a long break.

Several gatherings take place in Paris and in other cities of France such as Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, Lille and Lyon.

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This Saturday, September 12 in France corresponds to the return to the streets of

.

A few hundred people demonstrate in Paris where two gatherings have been authorized.

are planned in the rest of France.

At midday, the Paris police headquarters announced 154 arrests on the sidelines of the first processions.

In the capital, demonstrations on the Champs-Élysées, where a large police force has been deployed, have been banned.

The two authorized events start at Place de la Bourse, in central Paris, and Place Wagram, to the west of the capital.

The first tensions erupted over the latter when demonstrators tried to take a route different from the one declared, causing projectiles to be thrown and the use of tear gas.

New rules for maintaining order

This day of mobilization is also a test for the Minister of the Interior

, who presented Friday September 11 measures concerning the maintenance of order.

As of this Saturday, every shot by LBD, the

defense ball launcher

, will now have to be subject to the approval of a supervisor.

Regarding the de-encircling grenades, also responsible for many injuries during previous demonstrations, the police will now have to use new ones, two to four times less impactful than the previous ones, according to the minister.

This new grenade also has an igniter plug which no longer pops when the explosion occurs.

Illuminated panels and loud speakers should also be deployed in the coming months so that messages and summons sent to protesters are better heard.

In the long term, it is even planned to automatically send SMS to all telephones located at the scene of the demonstrations.

Finally, the new national law enforcement plan now includes a legislative framework for law enforcement to use drone images.

These measures were initiated by Gerald Darmanin's predecessor, Christophe Castaner, after repeated controversies over the very controversial management of demonstrations and the seriously injured during these gatherings.

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