Police Detain Hundreds as another Yellow West Mayhem Hits Paris Streets (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - French police have detained nearly 700 people in Paris on Saturday as massive crowds of Yellow Vest protesters swarmed into the streets of the capital.
Batches of tear gas were fired by police and nearly 700 people have been arrested, according to French Interior ministry.
The rally on the iconic Champs-Elysees avenue turned violent right after 10:00 am (local time). Videos from the area show people coughing and sneezing after tear gas canisters were fired into the lines of demonstrators.
Several hours into the protests, trucks armed with water cannon arrived in the heart of the capital, RT reported.
The violence unfolded in the capital as several Yellow Vest protesters built barricades in the city center and set them on fire.
The protesters were heard chanting La Marseillaise – the French national anthem – which is sung at almost during every demonstration.
Beefing up its presence, law enforcement also deployed armored vehicles belonging to the French Gendarmerie – the military police. The hardware was stationed right next to the Arc de Triomphe, which last week saw one of the fiercest battles between police and rioters.
This is the fourth consecutive Saturday of Yellow Vests protests, with levels of violence between police and demonstrators that has not been seen in decades. Last week, the unrest peaked again, resulting in over 400 arrests. Scores of people were also injured during the heavy-handed police response. Officers also suffered injuries while trying to handle the situation.
