Paris protests: Police deploy water cannon as gilets jaunes activists burn trees in French capital

Seventeen police officers among 135 injured during unrest across France

Police deploy water cannons and rubber bullets as gilets jaunes activists burn cars in French capital

More than 1,000 people were arrested across France as security forces deployed tear gas and water cannon to tackle anti-government protests.

Rioters hurled missiles, torched cars and trees and vandalised shops and restaurants as the ‘gilets jaunes’ staged their fourth weekend of demonstrations.

The violence also spread to Amsterdam and Brussels, where a crowd attempted to reach the European Union headquarters and other official buildings.

In Paris an estimated 10,000 people marched up a Champs-Elysees decked out in pink Christmas lights and police charged protesters on horseback. A total of 620 people were arrested in the French capital alone.

Rioting also broke out in Marseilles, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse, although the nationwide demonstrations were generally much more peaceful than a week ago.

As darkness fell, interior minister ​Christophe Castaner announced that the violence was “under control” but condemned it as “totally unacceptable”.

He said 135 people, including 17 police officers, were injured across the country and vowed that the security forces would remain vigilant overnight as there were reports of groups of youths looting shops.

The “yellow vests” movement – a reference to the fluorescent safety outfit French motorists keep in their cars – began on 17 November as a backlash to a rise in fuel taxes.

They have since come to encompass general anger and disillusionment with President Emmanuel Macron’s government and high living costs. Four people have died during the protests so far.

Amid warnings that far-right, anarchist and anti-capitalist groups would try to hijack the demonstrations, nearly 90,000 police and other security personnel were deployed across the country from 4am on Saturday.

Shops, restaurants and cafes were boarded up and shuttered while tourist destinations such as The Louvre, Eiffel Tower and the Paris Opera were also closed.

Donald Trump reacted to reports of rioting in the French capital by suggesting that the unrest could be blamed on the 2015 Paris climate change agreement. He also claimed that protesters were shouting “We want Trump”.

If you want to read how events unfolded, read our live coverage below.

Key Points

• Seventeen police officers among 135 people hurt in Paris
• Police have fired tear gas at protesters in the French capital
• Water cannon deployed as demonstrators set trees on fire 
• May Bulman reports from Paris
• Protests spread to Belgium and the Netherlands

[8 December 2018 14:40 · Zamira Rahim]

May Bulman, The Independent's social affairs correspondent, is reporting on the protests from Paris: 

[8 December 2018 14:49 · Zamira Rahim]

French police officers say that they have confiscated gas canisters, flash ball guns, baseball bats, and petanque balls from protesters in Paris.

[8 December 2018 14:55 · Zamira Rahim]

More than 30 people have been injured in Saturday's demonstrations, after riot police in Paris clashed with activists in the French capital.

[8 December 2018 15:03 · Zamira Rahim]

Around 31,000 people joined the yellow vest protests across France on Saturday, according to government officials.

[8 December 2018 15:13 · Zamira Rahim]

Around 600 people were briefly arrested in Paris on Saturday.

More than 500 remain in custody after police officers found them carrying potential weapons.

[8 December 2018 15:23 · Zamira Rahim]

Police officers are using horses to charge at some protesters in Paris, in an effort to control them. 

The chaos of the protests remains at a lower level than last week, which saw the worst riot to hit the French capital in decades.

Some officials fear that the protests may become more violent after nightfall on Saturday. 

[8 December 2018 15:34 · Zamira Rahim]

Clashes have broken out between protesters and police in the town of Marseille, in the south of France.

The fight broke out at midday near the city's port, one of Marseille's main tourist sights.

[8 December 2018 15:44 · Zamira Rahim]

A 'March for Climate' is unfolding peacefully in Paris and other cities in France, parallel to the "yellow vest" protests.

A handful of demonstrators attending the first protest crossed to the climate march by mid-afternoon.

One carried a sign which read "No climate justice without fiscal and social justice."

[8 December 2018 15:54 · Zamira Rahim]

The yellow vest protests in France have caused havoc at the country's border with Italy.

The police chief of Imperia, an Italian coastal town that sits near the French border, said that the protesters had caused a 6-kilometer long traffic jam, in both directions. 

"We're on the scene to try to manage the situation in a balanced way," Cesare Capocasa said on Saturday afternoon.

[8 December 2018 16:01 · May Bulman]

Alexis, a 21-year-old construction worker from the outskirts of Paris, says: “I am not here to cause a riot, I am not a rioter [...] I just want to be able to live.. To survive”