Riot rocks Paris, leaves 133 injured and 412 arrested

Image: Riot police in front of the Arc de Triomphe
Tear gas surrounds riot police as they clash with protesters near the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday. Copyright Veronique de Viguerie
Copyright Veronique de Viguerie
By Saphora Smith and Nancy Ing and Associated Press with NBC News World News
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Officials said those injured included 23 police officers and that 378 of the arrested had been put in police custody.

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PARIS — A clean-up operation was underway in Paris Sunday after violent protests injured 130 people and led to the arrest of 412.

Some 5,000 demonstrators — known as "Yellow Jackets" due to their fluorescent garb — descended onto Paris' streets Saturday in the latest round of protests against rising gas taxes and the high cost of living.

Rioters tore apart parts of the city, torching cars, smashing windows, looting stores and tagging the Arc de Triomphe with multi-colored graffiti. Police fired tear gas and water cannons as some demonstrators launched projectiles over police lines.

Officials said those hurt when the demonstrations turned violent included 23 police officers.

At one point, a group of protesters encircled the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located under the Arc de Triomphe and sang the French national anthem before being dispersed by police.

Officials were cleaning the streets Sunday and removing graffiti from the arc.

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The demonstrations, which kicked off on Nov. 17, were sparked by planned tax hikes on gas but have morphed into a wider rebuke of French President Emmanuel Macron's governance and his attempts at economic reform.

For over two weeks, motorists have blocked highways across the country by setting up barricades and deploying convoys of slow-moving trucks.

The "Yellow Jacket" activists — named after the neon vests French drivers are obliged to carry in their vehicles in the case of roadside emergencies — want Macron to call off the tax increases. Some have called on him to resign.

Tear gas surrounds riot police as they clash with protesters near the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday.
Tear gas surrounds riot police as they clash with protesters near the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday.Veronique de Viguerie

For his part, Macron has condemned the violence and has said he would hold an emergency meeting on security with the prime minister and interior minister on his return from the G-20 summit in Argentina on Sunday.

He has vowed that those responsible for the violence will pay for their actions.

"I will always respect disagreements, I will always listen to opposition but I will never accept violence," he told reporters at a press conference in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

He added that the violence had "nothing to do with the expression of legitimate anger" showed by peaceful protesters.

Nancy Ing reported from Paris and Saphora Smith reported from London.

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