PARIS : French police fired tear gas and arrested more than 200 people in Paris on Saturday as "yellow vest" protesters returned to the capital's streets in force for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown. The "yellow vests" movement, named after motorists' high-visibility jackets, began in late 2018 in protest against fuel taxes and economic reform, posing a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as demonstrations spread across France. By midday on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators had gathered at the starting points of two authorised marches. Police, who continued to fire tear gas into the mid-afternoon to break up small groups of protesters, had arrested 222 people by 3.45 p.m. (1345 GMT). The return of the protest movement comes as France grapples with a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

Source: Mint September 12, 2020 14:37 UTC