A protester wearing a yellow vest holds a French flag as he walks among tear gas on the Champs-Elysees Avenue near the Arc de Triomphe during a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)
Anti-government protesters faced off with French riot police in Paris on Saturday, hurling projectiles, torching cars and vandalizing shops and restaurants in a fourth weekend of unrest that has shaken President Emmanuel Macron’s authority.
Authorities said there were an estimated 8,000 protesters in Paris around midday and some 90,000 across the country with more than 50 people reported injured, including three police officers.
Named after the fluorescent safety vests that French motorists must carry, the “yellow vest” protests erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17, when nearly 300,000 demonstrators nationwide took to the streets to denounce high living costs and Macron’s liberal economic reforms.
Demonstrators say the reforms favor the wealthy and do nothing to help the poor and billed Saturday’s demonstrations “Act IV” of their protest after three consecutive Saturdays of rioting.
A view of the Place de la Republique as protesters wearing yellow vests gather during a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Stephane Mahe/Reuters)
The government this week cancelled a planned rise in taxes on petrol and diesel in a bid to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion. (Reuters)
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Demonstrators gather around a burning barricade during clashes with riots police, in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)
Police officers clash with demonstrators wearing yellow vests in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)
Demonstrators clashes with police in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)
A man stops in front of a vandalized tailor’s shop during a demonstration by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
A car burns during during clashes with police at a demonstration of the “yellow vests” movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protect their eyes amid tear gas on the Champs-Elysees avenue Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. (Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)
French Gendarmes run during clashes at a demonstration of the “yellow vests” movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)
A yellow vest protester walks among tear gas during clashes with French Gendarmes at a demonstration of the “yellow vests” movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)
A demonstrator wearing a yellow vest is covered in blood after getting in injured during a protest in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)
Protesters wearing yellow vests face off with police forces during clashes on the Champs-Elysees Avenue during a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)
Protestors protect themselves as tears gas fill near the Champs Elysees in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a mobilisation gainst rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Sameer Al-Doum /AFP/Getty Images)
Tear gas fills the air as French Gendarmes advance during clashes at a demonstration of the “yellow vests” movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)
A yellow vest protester reacts during clashes with police at a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)
Protesters wearing yellow vests and demonstrators attend a demonstration during a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Stephane Mahe/Reuters)
Protesters known as the “yellow vests” display their national flag as they march on the Paris’ famed Champs-Elysees Avenue, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Michel Euler/AP)
French gendarmes apprehend a protester during clashes at a demonstration by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
Protestors wearing yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) stand on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Zakaria AbdelKafi/AFPGetty Images)
A firefighter extinguishes a fire set on a car during a protest of Yellow vest (Gilets Jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes on Dec. 8, 2018 on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. (Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images)
Riot police clash with men wearing “yellow vests” (gilets jaunes) protestors on Dec. 8, 2018 near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images)
A man holds a Brittany flag as “Yellow vests” (gilets jaunes) protestors clash with riot police amid tear gas on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a protest of against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)
A protester wearing a yellow vest holds a placard reading “Give back money” on the Champs-Elysees Avenue during a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)
A car burns during during clashes with police at a demonstration of the “yellow vests” movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)
A demonstrators stands alone with a French flag during clashes Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. (Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)
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