Yellow vest protests: Demonstrators, police clash in Paris

Clashes broke out between dozens of demonstrators and police in Paris on the 23rd Saturday of yellow vest protests after authorities warned that rioters could return to Paris to spark a new wave of violence.

TV footage showed that dozens of black-hooded demonstrators threw rocks at police and some set fire to scooters and trash cans in the center of the French capital.

Police responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades. Some officers also marched toward demonstrators to control the crowd and funnel it to Paris' Place de la Republique, where most of the demonstrators were contained in the late afternoon.

Police officers confront a protester during the 23rd yellow vest protest in Paris, April 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo

As of 1200 GMT, a total of 9,600 people were demonstrating across France, including 6,700 in Paris, according to the interior ministry.

The number of participants is more than last week's protest, which witnessed 7,500 demonstrators, but represents only a fraction of the record 282,000 estimated on November 17, the first day of the months-long protests.

As of 1300 GMT, 110 people had been arrested and placed in custody, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Protesters attend the 23rd consecutive yellow vest protest in Paris, April 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Several demonstrators clearly alluded to the catastrophic fire at Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday, which prompted an outpouring of national sorrow and a rush by rich families and corporations to pledge around one billion euros (1.12 billion U.S. dollars) for its reconstruction.

"Millions for Notre-Dame, what about for us, the poor?" read a sign worn by a demonstrator. "Everything for Notre-Dame, nothing for the miserables," read another sign that evoked Victor Hugo's well-known novel.

Paris was on high alert after Christophe Castaner, the interior minister, said domestic intelligence services had informed him of a potential return of rioters intent on wreaking havoc in Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier and Bordeaux, in a repeat of violent protests on March 16.

A protester waves the French flag during the 23rd yellow vest protest in Paris, April 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo

It's said that large portions of the Paris metro network were closed and about 60,000 police were deployed across France.

The yellow vest protests erupted in mid-November originally over fuel price hikes and the high cost of living but spiraled into a broader movement against Macron and his drive for economic reforms.

The French president was due to unveil policies to quell the grassroot movement on Monday, before the blaze at Notre-Dame forced him to cancel the speech. He is now set to make his announcements next Thursday.

(CGTN)