Paris was in lockdown on Saturday as thousands of French security forces braced to meet renewed rioting by “yellow vest” protesters in the capital and other cities in the fourth weekend of confrontation over living costs. Reuters reported the Eiffel Tower and other tourist landmarks were shut, shops were boarded up to avoid looting and street furniture removed to avoid metal bars from being used as projectiles. Protesters, using social media, have billed the weekend as “Act IV” in a dramatic challenge to President Emmanuel Macron and his policies.
The protests, named after the high-visibility safety jackets French motorists have to keep in their cars, erupted in November over the squeeze on household budgets caused by fuel taxes. Pictures show teargas being used as protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration last week and a protester throwing a stone at the broken windows of the Musee de l’Orangerie and a burning vehicle on the Tuileries Garden.
