French 'Yellow Vest' Protesters Resume Rallies After Quiet Period During COVID-19

On the 12th (local time), Yellow Vest protesters are moving to avoid tear gas fired by the police on a street in Paris, France. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 12th (local time), police officers who were dispatched to suppress the Yellow Vest protesters stand in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The 'Yellow Vests (Gilets jaunes)' protests in France, which had subsided due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed on the 12th (local time). Although the scale was somewhat smaller compared to previous protests, clashes between protesters and police led to the firing of tear gas.

According to AP News and others, around 1,000 protesters gathered in Paris, the capital of France, and held marches and demonstrations at two locations. The Yellow Vests protesters, who took to the streets in 2018 to oppose French President Emmanuel Macron's fuel tax hike, had not held protests for some time due to the COVID-19 situation.

After the protests on this day, some protesters deviated from the planned march route and began setting fire to vehicles, prompting police to fire tear gas to suppress the unrest. Earlier, police had banned the assembly on the Champs-?lys?es, stating that destruction and chaos would not be tolerated.

Foreign media reported that the number of participants was lower than initially expected. Police announced that as of 1 p.m. that day, 154 protesters had been arrested. Police also required protesters to wear face masks on all streets in Paris to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.