French Yellow Vests Protest Against Globalist Government for 15th Week Running
Thousands of citizens in Paris, France rise up against President Macron for Act 15
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Thousands of Yellow Vests have taken to the streets of Paris this weekend as French citizens rise up against their globalist government for the 15th week running.
Thousands participated in protests across France as part of the Yellow Vest movement's Act 15.
The anti-government protests have been re-energized in recent weeks as the supporters work to eradicate violence and anti-Semitism from the movement's ranks.
Also known as Gilet Jaunes, protestors were met with armed police and tear gas as they called for an end to the globalist policies of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Large anti-riot-police operation in Clermont-Ferrand against #GiletsJaunes protesters. #France pic.twitter.com/laJAyKy7sf
— Ali Özkök (@Ozkok_) February 23, 2019
The French Interior Ministry estimates that a total of 41,500 people marched in streets around the country on Saturday.
French authorities arrested 13 protesters in Clermont-Ferrand with a further six people taken into custody in the capital, Paris, while in Nantes police deployed tear gas against the demonstrators.
Le défilé se passait tranquillement lorsque tout à coup, suite à quelques feux d’artifice, une Première salve de lacrymogène devant le carré feydeau a provoqué un mouvement de foule et vidé les terrasses du Bouffay en quelques secondes #acte15 #Nantes #giletsjaunes pic.twitter.com/zRHWXX59rk
— Stéphanie LAMBERT 🗞 (@steph_lambert44) February 23, 2019
There were also chaotic scenes in Montpellier where riot control officers drenched protesters with a water cannon and fired tear gas into the crowd.
#montpellier les canons à eau sont utilisés pic.twitter.com/WCPq7b98yh
— Midi Libre (@Midilibre) February 23, 2019
#Montpellier puis les premières lacrymo pic.twitter.com/igX6tz9zR4
— Midi Libre (@Midilibre) February 23, 2019
Most of the Yellow Vests' events on Saturday were rallies, but one group instead gathered for a picnic at the Chambord chateau, a popular tourist attraction in the Centre-Val de Loire region in central France.
The castle had been used by President Macron to celebrate his 40th birthday in 2017.
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According to the Daily Mail, among the many rallies around Paris and in other French cities, hundreds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris to march through well-off neighborhoods to protest government policies they see as favoring the rich.
Tempers frayed at the end of the main demonstration at the Trocadero plaza, next to the Eiffel Tower, and French police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
Five separate demonstrations were organized in the French capital, which saw 4,000 protesters by 2 p.m. according to Interior Ministry.
Local authorities in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand urged residents on Saturday to avoid downtown, where 2,500 yellow vest protesters clashed with police forces.
The prefecture said police arrested 15 people - including eight who were placed in custody - and seized weapons including baseball bats and alarm pistols.
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A few hundred Yellow Vest protesters made the most of the sunny weather to gather at Chambord Castle in central France for a picnic.
Elsewhere, activists blocked access to an Amazon platform in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments that French motorists must carry in their vehicles for emergencies.
The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes but have expanded into a broader public rejection of French President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies, which protesters say favor businesses and the wealthy over ordinary French workers.
Macron has tried to assuage protesters' anger by making some concessions - like rolling back the fuel tax hike - and holding forums where officials can better listen to public demands.
