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Today clashes broke out in various places in Paris between “yellow vest” protesters and security forces, the DPA reported. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, taking hundreds of protesters away by truck.
Local media reported a massive police presence around the central boulevard of the Champs Elysees, where the authorities banned protests. Some 1,000 protesters gathered in the northwestern neighborhoods of the capital, where clashes broke out. Another protest started near the old stock exchange building in the city center.
According to police and investigators, 154 people have been arrested, 54 of whom remain in custody for questioning at 1 pm local time.
This is the first attempt to resume the “yellow vest” protests since the summer holiday season in France.
Authorities in the southern city of Toulouse banned a planned “yellow vest” protest, citing the dangerous growth of COVID-19 patients in the region and the inability to comply with restrictive hygiene and physical distancing measures during the demonstrations.
The “yellow vests” movement began as a protest in the province against the planned increase in fuel taxes by the end of 2018, and then included broader social demands and calls for direct democracy, notes the DPA. In its early months, the movement drew thousands of protesters and often led to fierce street clashes with police, but last year the ranks of protesters visibly dwindled, notes BTA.
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