Yellow Vests protest started in relative calm

Bloomberg

A fifth weekend of protests by France’s Yellow Vests movement started in relative calm in Paris, with police arresting several dozen people in the capital compared with hundreds a week earlier.
As protesters gathered in front of the opera house and on the Champs-Elysees avenue in central Paris, police used tear gas to prevent a small breakaway group from advancing into the upscale 16th district shortly before noon, but there were so far none of the clashes seen on previous weekends.
Police had arrested 85 people in Paris, BFM TV reported on Saturday, compared with some 500 at about the same time a week ago. There were more than 1,000 protesters in the capital so far, police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert told BFM TV. Last week saw around 10,000 take part.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner warned ahead of an “Act 5” by the Yellow Vests that the demonstrations were attracting violent extremists from the political left and right, as well as looters.
“I would prefer an act of responsibility. For our police, for our shopkeepers, for our economy,” he said in an interview with Europe1 radio.
People across France have been donning high-visibility yellow vests for more than a month to express a range of grievances and demands. What started as traffic blockades has led to serious violence in Paris. Despite some concessions from President Emmanuel Macron, the lack of a single policy goal among the yellow vests means at least some protests are likely to continue.
The French government said it would deploy 8,000 police officers in Paris on the weekend and deploy armoured vehicles in the capital to contain the protesters, whose demands range from lower taxes and higher wages to better public services. Many chanted on Saturday for Macron to step down, and some held placards with the letters “RIC” calling for a citizen’s referendum initiative.
Last week, the protests in Paris saw looting, torched cars and damage to shops and property.