{"id":10469,"date":"2018-12-01T12:57:07","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T20:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=10469"},"modified":"2018-12-01T12:57:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-01T20:57:07","slug":"paris-french-gilets-jaunes-protests-turn-violent-on-the-streets-of-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/01\/paris-french-gilets-jaunes-protests-turn-violent-on-the-streets-of-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"PARIS FRENCH &#8216;GILETS JAUNES&#8217; PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT ON THE STREETS OF PARIS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>MON, 11\/26\/2018 &#8211; BY\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/author\/kim-willsher\">KIM WILLSHER<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-info\">\n<div id=\"content-partner\">THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON\u00a0<span class=\"content-partner-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardiannews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">THE GUARDIAN<\/a>\u00a0(occupy.com)<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed\">\n<div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PiYlZQWGAos?wmode=opaque\" name=\"fitvid0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field-name-body\">\n<p>Police have used teargas and water cannon against fuel tax protesters in Paris after violent clashes erupted on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of demonstrators from all over France massed on the famous boulevard on Saturday to express their anger at the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his government. But what was supposed to be a peaceful protest by the gilets jaunes (yellow jackets) movement degenerated rapidly.<\/p>\n<p>On one side, protesters reportedly infiltrated by far-right extremists and casseurs (rioters and hooligans) tore up paving stones and hurled them and other missiles at police before building barricades that they set alight. On the other, police used teargas, pepper spray, water cannon and bulldozers to clear the road.<\/p>\n<p>Each time the police advanced, protesters rebuilt the barricades, using metal barriers from roadworks and construction sites, rubbish bins and anything else they could find. Many\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/nov\/23\/frances-gilets-jaunes-leave-macron-feeling-decidely-off-colour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gilets jaunes<\/a>\u00a0attempted to withdraw as violence erupted, but were hampered by advancing police. Others retreated, but vowed to remain at the protest. \u201cWe were here as pacifists and we were gassed. But we will stay here all day because Macron has to listen,\u201d said one man, who gave his name as Jacques.<\/p>\n<p>A week ago around\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/nov\/17\/french-protester-killed-accident-anti-fuel-tax-blockade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">280,000 gilets jaunes<\/a>\u00a0took part in protests at more than 2,000 locations across France. The demonstrations left two dead and more than 600 injured. The movement, sparked by rises in tax on fuel, has no official leaders and has expressly shunned any political affiliation. Unofficial representatives had called on protesters to bring Paris to a standstill on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The demonstrators had been told to stay at the official protest site designated by the French authorities \u2013 the Champ de Mars by the Eiffel Tower \u2013 and to keep away from a number of sensitive sites in the city, including the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es and Place de la Concorde near the Elys\u00e9e palace.<\/p>\n<p>The first arrivals were angry and frustrated, feeling abandoned by their leaders and determined to make their voices heard. Those who spoke to the Observer were of all ages, held a wide range of jobs or were unemployed, and of various political persuasions. None of those who spoke to journalists \u2013 on or off the record \u2013 appeared to be looking for a fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re here because we\u2019ve had enough,\u201d said Joel Mouilleseaux, 24, a student. \u201cIt\u2019s always the same people who have to pay for the madness of others. We have to work to pay, work some more to pay some more and it\u2019s been like that for years. It\u2019s been like it since I was born, president after president, and now we\u2019re saying, that\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said he had voted for an independent candidate at the last election. \u201cLeft, right, for me it\u2019s the same, always the same. I want to be heard, listened to and have a response.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bruno Binelli, 66, a retired carpenter from Lyon, said: \u201cI\u2019m not in any political party. I often vote Front National, but I\u2019m not Front National. It\u2019s not my mentality \u2013 and besides, I\u2019m Italian by origin \u2013 but I do it out of protest, to say things are not good, and if you continue like this we will end up electing someone from the extreme right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut they don\u2019t listen to us. Macron listens to nothing. He\u2019s suddenly concerned about ecology, but it\u2019s a lie: it\u2019s a pretext to make us pay more tax. We no longer know what kind of car to buy: petrol, diesel, electric, who knows? I have a little diesel van and I don\u2019t have the money to buy a new one, especially as I\u2019m about to retire. We have the feeling those from the countryside are forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many talked of desperation at trying to make ends meet. As they passed the designer stores off the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es, their complaints over inequality appeared to strike a chord: TV pundits spoke of an \u201cinsurrection of the people against the elites\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>France\u2019s centrist government blamed the far right, who along with other politicians blamed Macron. Polls suggest the gilets jaunes have the support of almost 80% of French people. Even more think Macron should abandon plans to impose higher taxes on petrol and diesel. A BVA opinion poll on Friday found Macron\u2019s popularity had slipped to a new low, with only 26% of French people having a favourable opinion of the president, a drop of three points since last month.<\/p>\n<p>Macron said in a strongly worded tweet on Saturday: \u201cShame on those who attacked (police). Shame on those who were violent against other citizens &#8230; No place for this violence in the Republic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The interior minister, Christophe Castaner, said around 8,000 gilets jauneshad gathered in the city by midday on Saturday, 5,000 of them on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es. He claimed that responsibility for the violence lay with the far-right leader Marine Le Pen. \u201cMarine Le Pen urged people to come to the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es, and there are members of the ultra-right putting up barriers,\u201d Castaner said.<\/p>\n<p>He described the rioters as \u201cseditious\u201d. He said: \u201cThey have responded to Marine Le Pen\u2019s call and want to take the institutions of state. We want people to be responsible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe right to demonstrate is a fundamental right and we will protect that, but we cannot protect those carried away by violence \u2026 those who only want to protest should pull back from this violence and denounce it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response Le Pen, head of the far-right Rassemblement National, previously known as the Front National, told the news channel BFM TV that the accusations were unjust. She blamed the violence on \u201ca few rioters\u201d. \u201cWhy did Mr Castaner let these people on to the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es? He is responsible. It\u2019s a strategy of tension,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Le Pen accused the minister of trying to discredit the gilets jaunes movement.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday evening, Castaner said that 106,000 people had taken part in protests across France, and 130 had been arrested, 42 of them in Paris. The Paris police prefecture said there were 19 injured, among them four gendarmes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/nov\/24\/french-gilets-jaunes-protests-turn-violent-on-the-streets-of-paris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Originally published by The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media media-element-container media-default\">\n<div id=\"file-60546\" class=\"file file-image file-image-jpeg\">\n<div class=\"content\"><a class=\"lightbox-cont\" href=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/medialibrary\/3500_15.jpg\" data-lightbox=\"gal-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-element file-default\" title=\"Gilets Jaunes, yellow jackets, fuel tax, Emmanuel Macron, French protests, climate protection measures\" src=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/medialibrary\/3500_15.jpg\" alt=\"Gilets Jaunes, yellow jackets, fuel tax, Emmanuel Macron, French protests, climate protection measures\" width=\"1200\" height=\"719\" data-delta=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media media-element-container media-default\">\n<div id=\"file-60551\" class=\"file file-image file-image-jpeg\">\n<div class=\"content\"><a class=\"lightbox-cont\" href=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/medialibrary\/7ef08a8f4efadf1996264a38b714b2d4-gilets-jaunes-en-ille-et-vilaine-quelles-sont-les-actions-ce-week-end.jpg\" data-lightbox=\"gal-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-element file-default\" src=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/medialibrary\/7ef08a8f4efadf1996264a38b714b2d4-gilets-jaunes-en-ille-et-vilaine-quelles-sont-les-actions-ce-week-end.jpg\" alt=\"Gilets Jaunes, yellow jackets, fuel tax, Emmanuel Macron, French protests, climate protection measures\" width=\"1200\" height=\"678\" data-delta=\"2\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media media-element-container media-default\">\n<div id=\"file-60541\" class=\"file file-image file-image-jpeg\">\n<div class=\"content\"><a class=\"lightbox-cont\" href=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/field\/image\/paris-incendie-champs-elysees-gilets-jaunes.jpg\" data-lightbox=\"gal-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"media-element file-default\" src=\"http:\/\/www.occupy.com\/sites\/default\/files\/field\/image\/paris-incendie-champs-elysees-gilets-jaunes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-delta=\"3\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MON, 11\/26\/2018 &#8211; BY\u00a0KIM WILLSHER THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON\u00a0THE GUARDIAN\u00a0(occupy.com) Police have used teargas and water cannon against fuel tax protesters in Paris after violent clashes erupted on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es. Thousands of demonstrators from all over France massed on the famous boulevard on Saturday to express their anger&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/01\/paris-french-gilets-jaunes-protests-turn-violent-on-the-streets-of-paris\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10469"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10470,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469\/revisions\/10470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}