18th Weekend of Yellow Vests Protests in Paris

By Staff, Agencies

French police fired tear gas against protesters as yellow vest rallies continue for the eighteenth consecutive weekend in Paris.

Several thousands of protesters marched on the streets stretching from the Place Charles de Gaulle. They seemed to be in a more aggressive mood than during several previous demonstrations.

As a group of protesters tried to storm a police barrier near Place des Ternes, police officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Supporters of the yellow vest movement, who started to gather at the Place Charles de Gaulle before dawn, continued their march across the French capital, some of them setting plastic trash cans on fire, destroying municipal electric scooters and exploding fireworks.

Meanwhile, police have taken measures to ensure security, with gendarmes limiting the movement on Champs-Elysees. A water cannon and two armored vehicles have been deployed to downtown Paris.

The wave of protests started in France in mid-November last year. While the government abandoned its plans to raise fuel taxes, which triggered the rallies in the first place, and introduced other measures to improve the country's socioeconomic situation, protesters continue to take to the streets across France every weekend.

Yellow vest protests have been marked with violent clashes between activists and security forces.