Water cannons and rounds of teargas were used by riot cops against thousands of French "Yellow Vest" fuel protesters today as the Champs Elysee was reduced to a battlefield.
has erupted over spiking fuel prices in the country and is pilling pressure on the government.
A police officer at the scene said: "They included hooded demonstrators who were determined to cause trouble.
"We’ve been forced to deploy a water cannon and use tear gas to stop them getting to a secure zone.
"They’re breaking up traffic obstacles to create missiles to throw at us. It’s getting very violent."
The zone included the Elysee Palace – Mr Macron’s official home – and the Place de la Concorde, opposite the National Assembly, France’s parliament.
The Yellow Vests – gilets jaunes in French – are named after the high visibility jackets they wear.
They have been conducting a grassroots campaign against escalating petrol and diesel prices.
Senior French ministers have slammed the ‘radicalisation’ and ‘anarchy’ involved, claiming far-Right and hard-Left elements have hijacked the protests.
Two road deaths have been linked with the protests so far – both at illegal road blocks set up by the Yellow Vests.
There have also been 553 woundings, 17 of them serious.
More than 95 police have been hurt in a variety of disturbances, including an attempt to storm the Elysee Palace last weekend.
Some 3,000 police were on the streets of central Paris today, where the protesters pledged to bring the city to a standstill.
By 11am, clouds of tear gas covered the Champs Elysee and especially the area close to the place de la Concorde.
Running battles were taking place between mobile squads of CRS police, and the demonstrators, as objects were thrown between the two.
The Champ de Mars - the field next to the Eiffel Tower – had been set aside by the Paris authorities for the demonstration, but it was ignored by the protestors.
‘We’re not here to do what officials tell us,’ said Max Lefevre, a 22-year-old student taking part in the demonstrations.
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