Luxury stores and bank looted in riots
PARIS — Rioters looted and torched shops on the famed ChampsElysees avenue in Paris on Saturday, on the 18th weekend of French “yellow vest” protests, characterized by a sharp increase in violence after weeks of dwindling turnout.
French President Emmanuel Macron cut short a skiing trip in the Pyrenees to return to Paris for a crisis meeting, as hooded protesters went on the rampage in Paris, leaving a trail of destruction in the tourist heart of the city.
He vowed to take “strong decisions” to prevent further violence, following the emergency talks held at the interior ministry late Saturday.
“There are people today who try by all means … to damage the republic by breaking, by destroying things at the risk of killing someone,” Macron said.
The police appeared overrun as protesters swarmed the wide avenue, vandalizing and later setting fire to Fouquet’s brasserie, a favorite hangout of the rich and famous for the past century — as well as luxury handbag store Longchamp, a bank, another restaurant and several newsstands.
The rioters also looted several clothing stores and set fire to barricades in scenes reminiscent of the worst yellow-vest riots in Paris in December.
In a statement, the national police denounced the “mindless violence, cowardly attacks” and stressed their determination to guarantee public order against “provocateurs and vandals”.
Saturday’s turnout was seen a test of the ongoing strength of the movement, which began in November over fuel tax hikes and quickly ballooned into a rebellion against Macron’s policies, seen by the protesters as geared toward the rich.
In recent weeks, the protests have dwindled in size. But the interior ministry estimated the turnout in Paris Saturday at 10,000, out of around 32,300 nationwide.
That is a fraction of the 282,000 people they said took part in the inaugural demonstrations across France on November 17, but more than the previous weekend.
Saturday’s protests were markedly more violent than in recent weeks. Police said close to 240 people were arrested, while prosecutors said more than 100 had been taken into custody.
The bank set alight was on the ground floor of an apartment building, and firefighters had to quickly evacuate the residents, including a 9-month-old baby.
The violence left 17 members of the police injured and 42 protesters, said police.