Between 1,000 and 2,000 “Gilets Jaunes” marched calmly through the centre of Paris on Sunday, the day after Act 14 was passed. It was also three months to the day since the movement started, according to an AFP journalist.
The demonstrators left Champs-Elysées at around midday. Their ranks swelled progressively as they headed towards the Champs-de-mars, the final destination. The authorities had been warned about the protest and it was given a large police escort.
On Saturday, the Home Affairs minister said there had been 41,500 demonstrators in France and 5,000 in Paris, which was slightly less than the week before. However, the Gilets Jaunes claim there were actually double the number of people present (104,070).
The first Gilets Jaunes protest was on a Sunday. Those present this Sunday sang “Happy Birthday” in the streets of Paris to celebrate the movement’s three-month anniversary. There has never been a movement like it and it has damaged the government.
There were no major incidents during the Act 14 protest in Paris on Saturday, but there were clashes in Toulouse and Bordeaux, two other cities that have seen a lot of demonstrations.
In the capital, philosopher Alain Finkelkraut was subjected to anti-sematic jibes from protesters, which led to a stream of indignant reactions from politicians.
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The Brussels Times
