"Yellow vest" protests turn violent in Paris

The 13th week of protests by thousands of "yellow vest" protesters in Paris, France on February 9 turned violent when they tried to storm the National Assembly and Senate buildings, according toReutersProtesters threw debris at security forces, set cars, motorbikes and trash cans on fire as they marched towards Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner expressed "disgust" as protesters set fire to an anti-terror military vehicle. Such vehicles have been a common sight in Paris since the 2015 terror attacks.

Politicians also condemned the attack on the home of Richard Ferrand, the president of the National Assembly and a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Ferrand posted photos on Twitter showing a charred living room and said police found oil-soaked materials.

Police used batons and fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Paris. One man had four fingers severed while trying to pick up a grenade used by police to disperse crowds. Another stood in front of a line of riot police with blood streaming down his face.

The Interior Ministry put the total number of protesters across France at 12,000, including 4,000 in Paris. However, police sources said the figure was higher, with 21,000 protesters taking part in rallies outside Paris.

"We are adults, not children," said Hugues Salone, a computer engineer in Paris who joined the protest. "We really want to assert our right to choose, not the choice of politicians."

Leaders of the “yellow vest” movement have condemned police for injuring protesters, but have also called for violence to stop during the march. Police said 31 protesters were arrested.

The “yellow vest” movement, named after the yellow protective vests that French people are required to carry in their cars, erupted in mid-November 2018. The protests initially focused on the government’s plans to raise fuel taxes but later expanded to include criticism of President Macron, as well as anger over taxes and the high cost of living.

Macron sought to ease the crisis in December by announcing a 10 billion euro ($11.4 billion) package of measures to support pensioners and low-income workers and scrapping plans to raise fuel taxes. But he has resisted changes to tax cuts for the wealthy, arguing that they encourage investment.