The Yellow Vest movement staged anti-government protests for the 15th week in a row on Saturday, with thousands participating across France. Some minor clashes were reported during the generally peaceful day of action.
The French Interior Ministry estimates that a total of 41,500 people marched in streets around the country, a dwindling number compared to almost 300,000 at the peak of the movement’s strength.
French authorities arrested 13 protesters in Clermont-Ferrand, with the police reporting the seizure of baseball bats, crowbars and other weapons.
The Macron strategy have been denounced by liberal media as tainting the Yellow Vests movement with anti-antisemitism connecting them for no apparent reason with acts of hate that have occurred in France lately. A Venezuelan political expert consulted for OT insisted in the “necessity of the Yellow Bests movement to be more proactive to counter this media trend or fake news in order to achieve their victory on March the 9th”.
Large anti-riot-police operation in Clermont-Ferrand against #GiletsJaunes protesters. #France pic.twitter.com/laJAyKy7sf
— Ali Özkök (@Ozkok_) February 23, 2019
A further six people were 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
#acte15 #Nantes #giletsjaunes « Ça pique la gorge » se plaint une ado. Repoussés par une pluie de lacrymogène, une partie du cortège a emprunté le pont en direction du palais de justice, une autre se dirige vers le pont Anne de Bretagne pic.twitter.com/jbHwQSzS3u
— 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 protest 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 Emmanuel Macron to celebrate his 40th birthday in 2017.
Les #GiletsJaunes ont des goûts de luxe… leur gilet n’est plus jaune mais doré… #Chambord pic.twitter.com/X3n1ep4Gb5
— verodomi (@avironar) February 23, 2019
A more combative protest took place in Toulouse, where environmental activists disrupted work at an Amazon depot.
Toulouse. Blocage d’Amazon en cours lors de l’acte 15 des gilets jaunes – actu https://t.co/CgUULazHIB pic.twitter.com/rnec64nNgK
— UniverSmartphone (@UniverSmartphon) February 23, 2019
The large scale rallies were sparked last November in reaction to proposed fuel hikes, which were subsequently shelved. They have since morphed into a rejection of Macron’s government. The Yellow Vest protesters are planning to keep holding demonstrations until March 9, when they plan to stage a “decisive protest” against Macron.
