Posted on 12/02/2018 10:17:02 AM PST by Enlightened1
PARIS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron's presidency.
The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation in violence after two weeks of nationwide protests against fuel taxes and living costs, known as the "yellow vest" movement after fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France.
In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while 110 were injured, including 20 members of the security forces. Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon at protesters at the top of the Champs-Elysees boulevard, at the Tuilleries Garden near the Louvre museum and other sites.
In some areas there was virtually no police presence at all, as groups of masked men roamed in the shadows of the capital's fabled landmarks and through its fanciest shopping districts, smashing the windows of designer boutiques.
Macron, in Argentina for a G20 summit, said he would convene ministers to discuss the crisis upon his return on Sunday. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe cancelled a trip to Poland.
"We are in a state of insurrection, I've never seen anything like it," said Jeanne d'Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris' 8th district, near the Arc de Triomphe.
The popular rebellion erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17 and has spread quickly via social media, with protesters blocking roads across France and impeding access to shopping malls, factories and some fuel depots.
On Saturday, some targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting "Macron Resign" and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: "The yellow vests will triumph."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.trust.org ...
Thank you. The looting and burning seems out of character, but I guess they’ve seen that working for the ghetto immigrants and have seen them placated over and over. So perhaps it makes sense, do what you have seen works. Still sorry to see it. But it seems that democrats and socialists only respond to violence. If they had guns, they would be much more polite, but then again, the government would not have betrayed them if they were armed. Lesson learned for us. 2nd Amendment is essential to liberty!
The future of the Anywhere Big City.
Burn, Baby, Burn!
It is inevitable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.