In France, the „red scarves“ have formed as a counter-movement to the „yellow vests“. On Sunday they gave their clearest signal so far, as thousands took to the streets in Paris. According to their own statements, they demonstrated against violence and for „defending democracy and institutions“.
According to the police, about 10,500 „red scarves“ participated in the demo. About as many had previously promised via Facebook their participation in the „Republican March of Freedoms“. At the top of the demonstration, the activists chanted „yes to democracy, no to revolution“. On display were France and a handful of European flags. Some participants wore T-shirts with inscriptions like „I love my republic“ or „Stop the violence“.
Laurent Soulie, initiator of „Red Scarves“, is close to President Emmanuel Macron’s „The Republic in Motion“ („La Republique en Marche“) party. The engineer from Toulouse had launched the idea for the demo in mid-December via Facebook. The mark of the red scarves goes back to a protest group, which demonstrated since the end of November against the street blockades of the „yellow vests“.
The „yellow vests“ had brought on the eleventh protest Saturday in a row nationwide 69,000 Frenchmen and French women on the street, as the Interior Ministry announced. In Paris, therefore, about 4,000 „yellow vests“ demonstrated against the reform course of President Macron. Compared to the previous Saturday, the number of participants dropped slightly. Last weekend, 84,000 people took part in the country, compared to 7,000 in Paris.
Clashes Police – Protesters
In the capital, there were clashes between police and protesters at Place de la Bastille. The security forces used tear gas and water cannons to push back demonstrators who threw missiles at police officers. According to the prefecture, 22 people were arrested.
Jerome Rodrigues, one of the mouthpieces of the „yellow vests,“ was seriously injured in the eye. He had been hit by a rubber bullet from the police, his lawyer Philippe de Veulle told television broadcaster BFM on Sunday. „He will be disabled all his life.“ The projectile had been collected by other demonstrators as evidence.
The use of rubber bullets is controversial. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had announced to equip the security forces with body cameras to better document the operations. The left-wing opposition politician Jean-Luc Melenchon called for Rodrigues‘ injury, the resignation of Castan.
State Secretary Laurent Nunez said Sunday night there was nothing to suggest that Rodrigues had been hit by a rubber bullet. Citing a police report, however, he confirmed the use of a grenade, which had been used by the police to disperse the demonstrators. The lawyer of the injured demonstrator had previously rejected this thesis.
Call for the „yellow night“
There were also clashes in the „yellow west“ strongholds Toulouse and Bordeaux in southwestern France and in the south in Montpellier and Avignon, as well as in several western French cities. For the first time activists on Bastille Square had also called for a „yellow night“. Model was the social movement „Nuit debout“, which protested in 2016 against the labor law reform of the previous socialist government. However, the meeting was reportedly ended quickly.
