Paris Prepares for New Yellow Vest Protests
Workers toiled late on Friday, December 7 to board up windows and doors at stores and businesses in central Paris as the French capital prepared for the latest round of “yellow vest” protests planned for Saturday.
French police called for businesses in the Champs-Elysees and Bastille areas to close on Saturday while Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre would also shut their doors. Reuters reported Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had ordered the deployment of 65,000 police officers across the country and armoured vehicles in Paris after members of the yellow vests (gilets jaunes) called for new demonstrations on Saturday.
At least four people had died and hundreds were injured as protests over a rise in fuel tax boiled over into anger about the cost of living and President Emmanuel Macron, with protesters attacking police with stones, Molotov cocktails and defacing the Arc de Triomphe. Credit: Meghan Conroy via Storyful
