Thousands of „yellow vests“ took to the streets again in various French cities yesterday. Many also protested against the police’s brutal crackdown after numerous demonstrators were injured in clashes in November since the protest movement began. Nationwide, according to the French Interior Ministry, 58,600 „yellow vests“, of which 10,500 in Paris, took to the streets – and thus significantly less than in the previous weeks.
In Paris, television pictures showed minor confrontations with the police. There were slogans against President Emmanuel Macron called, some sang the French national anthem. Some wore eye-patches to remind of injured people who lost an eye during protests. According to a report by the Liberation newspaper, there were 14 such cases.
The day before, the French Supreme Administrative Court had rejected an application to prohibit the police from using rubber bullets. The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Mijatovic, expressed concern earlier this week about the number and severity of injuries as a result of state violence.
