The "yellow vests" parade for the twelfth time in France and denounce police violence

The "yellow vests", which reject the economic policy of President Emmanuel Macron, protest this Saturday the twelfth consecutive time in Paris and in other cities of France.

This Saturday, the demonstration started with a March to denounce police violence against the movement, which has made more than 100 seriously wounded protesters since November, including 17 people who lost an eye by shooting rubber bullets and four people who lost a hand by lifting police grenades. In total, the authorities recorded more than 1,900 injured among protesters and more than 1,200 among the security forces.

The march in honor of the wounded took place one day after the State Council, the highest French administrative court, decided to maintain the use of weapons that launch rubber projectiles (LBD) during protests. , as well as GLI-F4 and GMD grenades.

Before the controversy, the Interior Minister admitted Friday that this weapon, called intermediary, could "hurt" and promised to punish the "abuses" but defended its use "to face the rioters"

"There were no shops looted, barricades, cars burned, public buildings destroyed […]"If the law was respected, there would simply be no wounded," said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, promising a "powerful" police device for this Saturday.

"To end the excessive force imposed by the government to silence the demonstration," urged protesters to come with "spots in one eye, bandages, paint the yellow jackets in red as if it were blood, "according to messages posted on Facebook.

"The problem today is the police violence because it is unbearable, they forbid us to protest and shoot us without reason, there is a great repression, there are many wounded, we were born as a pacifist movement and this violence is not understood, "he told the Efe news agency. Mr. Leduc, 36, one of the participants.

The march started from Place de Daumesnil, in the south-east of the French capital, at noon local time, in the direction of Plaça de la République, north-east of Paris, where they registered some incidents between the protesters and the police.

The protests began on November 17 to denounce rising fuel prices and loss of purchasing power. Demonstrations took place in several French cities, such as Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Rennes, Nantes, among others.

Last Saturday, according to the Ministry of the Interior, the demonstration brought together 69,000 people nationwide, against 84,000 on 19 January. Some figures that protesters systematically refute, accusing the Interior Ministry of underestimating the mobilization.