Police say they have detained seven demonstrators in the French city of Montpellier, with some 2,000 people thought to have been protesting in the capital. A police car was reportedly set aflame by a firebomb, and police used teargas to break up gathering crowds. It is thought the majority of protestors marched peacefully, though there were also incidents of vandalism to shop fronts.
Police clashes with Yellow Vest protesters this weekend is just the latest in the high-profile narrative of political unrest in France.
According to reports from French news agency, Agence France-Presse, over the weekend other rallies were held in French cities such as Paris, Marseille, Rouen and Toulouse.
The presence of the Yellow Vest movement, which came to the forefront in November last year, had diminished slightly over the summer.
Nevertheless, protestors took to the streets for what was the 43rd consecutive weekend of demonstrations in a row on Saturday.
According to MailOnline, more than 55 anti-government protestors were arrested in the country this weekend.
The Yellow Vest protests initially drew the support of thousands of people across the nation.
Demonstrations began in response to rising fuel costs, which the French government justified as funding for eco-friendly projects.
The Yellow Vest movement, known as gilets jaunes, is now fuelled by a belief that economic injustice and ‘elitism’ exists in French policy.
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Now the anti-Macron Yellow Vest leaders are hoping to drum up support for another round of rallies against the French government.
In April this year, President Macron acknowledged there was a “lack of trust” in the establishment, and unveiled promises such as tax cuts and higher pensions.
However, the reforms failed to placate the Yellow Vest protestors, and demonstrations over Macron’s economic policies continued.
In July this year, tear gas was used against protestors near the Champs-Elysées after France’s annual Bastille Day military parade.
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In August, protestors hurled eggs and defaced the constituency office of Patrick Vignal, a member of Mr Macron’s La République en Marche (LREM) party.
Protestors hurled yellow paint at the office, and threw a burning projectile inside.
From more than 300,000 people attending the protests at the movement’s conception, it is thought that numbers have significantly dwindled in recent months.
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