There are early reports of confrontations between ‘black block’ protesters in Toulouse at the start of the 22nd consecutive weekend of demonstrations by Yellow Vests.
Police arrest fifteen people in Paris and carry out more than 5,800 checks on demonstrators at 16H00 (GMT), as part of new powers given to them by France’s new anti-rioters bill passed on Thursday.
Yellow Vest protesters organize a procession calling for “the right to protest” and “an end to a repressive law” at place de la République, before joining rights organisations such as Amnesty International and SOS Racisme for a march “to defend the right to demonstrate.”
At 14H00 (GMT), 7,500 demonstrators are reported in France including 1,300 in Paris, according to the French interior ministry.
The Paris police department has banned all demonstrations on the Champs Elysées-Avenue and surrounding areas for the third consecutive week, after demonstrators damaged, burned and looted shops there.
On one street in the 19th district, graffiti signs on the wall read “16 March, the rich lose the Champs, 13 April we will take the Capitole,” in reference to the city centre in Toulouse, the epicenter of this weekend’s protests, which saw clashes earlier in the day.