A group that observes police conduct at yellow vest protests said that the officers had attacked five people during the demonstration that left one of the persons injured.
French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: IANS)
French police used tear gas and water cannon on Saturday to break up a protest by nearly 1,000 yellow vest demonstrators in the south-western city of Toulouse.
According to the police statement in Toulouse, officers have arrested five people after being targeted by missiles thrown by some of the protesters.
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A group that observes police conduct at yellow vest protests said that the officers had attacked five people during the demonstration that left one of the persons injured.
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The Observatory of Police Practice (OPP) posted images and video on Twitter to support their account and posted an open letter to the authorities protesting the incident.
Earlier this month, a member of the OPP filed a complaint alleging that he had been injured during a police charge at a yellow vest protest.
The march in Toulouse, which holds regular yellow vests protests was led by demonstrators brandishing a giant banner that read, “Fed up of surviving. We want to live.” As staff at a McDonald’s outlet closed up the premises, one of the parasols outside went up in flames.
Even after the use of tear gas and water cannon, demonstrators continued to gather in the city streets.
In the capital Paris, some yellow vests joined a climate protest march.
Saturday’s protests came two days after the French government unveiled a draft 2020 budget with more than nine billion euros in tax cuts for households.
It includes five billion euros in tax cuts for some 12 million households already promised by President Emmanuel Macron, the result of a “great national debate” he held to try to address the ongoing protests.
French President Emmanuel Macron swept to the presidency in 2017 with a pledge to get the country back on a solid financial footing. But he was caught short by the “yellow vest” movement which accused the former investment banker of ignoring the day-to-day struggles of many French.
Demonstrations have been banned on the Champs-Elysees after protesters clashed with police on the famous Paris avenue on December 8 last year, in the early days of the yellow vest protests.
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