Paris in chaos, more than 100 yellow vests arrested

"126 people were arrested, 11,000 had their papers checked," a representative of the Paris police department said today. Dozens of "Yellow Vest" protesters threw rocks at police, some even set fire to motorbikes and trash bins in central Paris, forcing authorities to use rocket-propelled grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The majority of protesters were in Paris, but authorities warned that similar action could take place in other cities. Parts of the Paris metro network were closed and 60,000 police officers were deployed across France.

The "Yellow Vest" movement erupted in mid-November 2018 to protest the government's plan to raise fuel taxes, but then expanded to criticize French President Emmanuel Macron, while expressing anger at the tax base and high cost of living.

President Macron approved a law earlier this month that gives security forces more power during protests, a move that was criticized by the opposition as a violation of civil liberties. France's Constitutional Council has rejected some provisions of the law, such as a ban on protesters covering their faces.