The Saudi embassy in Paris urged on Saturday its nationals in the French capital to avoid the famed Champs Elysees avenue and nearby areas in wake of a new flare-up of violence as yellow vest protests against President Emmanuel Macron and his pro-business reforms.
Police fired tear gas and water cannons as the protests turned violent again after weeks of relative calm during marches and declining numbers of participants.
Rioters also set fire to an upmarket handbag store and two news-stands on the Champs Elysees while scattered bonfires burned on the iconic thoroughfare.
Protesters lobbed cobblestones at riot police through clouds of tear gas in front of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, which was ransacked at the peak of the protests in December.
Police had arrested more than 150 protesters by late afternoon as demonstrators looted stores around the Champs Elysees and ransacked the high-end Fouquet’s restaurant.
Several hundred meters (yards) down the Champs Elysees, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told journalists the latest violence was “unacceptable” and all would be done to bring perpetrators to justice.
“We are dealing with several hundred, several thousand in some cases, highly determined people who are there to create disorder,” he said.
The interior ministry estimated 10,000 people had participated in the protest in Paris, compared with 2,800 the previous Saturday. Elsewhere in France, protesters were estimated at 4,500, compared with 4,200 last week.
Yellow vest protesters have promised to draw bigger numbers to mark the fourth month since the movement erupted in mid-November, over since-scrapped fuel tax hikes and the high cost of living.
