Number Of 'Yellow Vests' Detained In Saturday's Paris Protests Reaches 95 - Reports

The number of people detained Saturday during a new wave of "yellow vest" protests in Paris reached 95, local media reported, citing police.

MOSCOW/PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2018) The number of people detained Saturday during a new wave of "yellow vest" protests in Paris reached 95, local media reported, citing police.

According to the BFMTV broadcaster, 63 of those detained were taken into custody. The broadcaster added that less than 3,000 people were taking part in the protests.

Meanwhile, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the police had started using tear gas to disperse the rally on the Champs Elysees after clashing with protesters.

The protesters sought to flee, but the police did not allow it, forcing them to retreat toward Arc de Triomphe.

Later, the police blocked entrances to the square near the Palais Garnier in the center of Paris, where the rally was ongoing.

The "yellow vests" attempted to break through the police cordon, albeit unsuccessfully.

From time to time, the protesters resume clashes with the police, sing La Marseillaise and call for President Emmanuel Macron's resignation.

The wave of the so-called yellow vest protests � named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers � started in France in mid-November. The French government has scrapped its planned hike in diesel taxes that sparked the protests, but the yellow vests have since morphed into a broader movement against government policies and rising living costs. The rallies have been marked by violent clashes with police officers, who have used tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters.