UK Edition
Yellow vest protester has hand partially blown off as clashes break out again in Paris
A “yellow vest” protester had four fingers blown off, reportedly by a stun grenade, as clashes erupted between anti-government demonstrators and riot police in Paris on Saturday.
The man was injured when he picked up a grenade thrown by police as they held off protesters who tried to force their way into the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, witnesses said. Police could not confirm exactly how the injury happened but said the man had been taken to hospital.
Grisly video footage shows other protesters gathering around the injured man, aged about 30, and apparently trying to give him first aid as his hand spurted blood and he screamed in pain.
The incident came after an arson attack on the home of the National Assembly speaker on Friday night.
French police have often used stun grenades, each containing 25 grams of explosive, to disperse violent protesters since the weekly demonstrations began 13 weeks ago.
Two other protesters were injured in the face on Saturday, one when police fired a rubber “defence ball”, another controversial weapon banned in most other west European countries. Protesters kicked a police officer in the face during clashes on the Champs-Elysées and another officer was punched in the mouth.
“Yellow vests”, who take their their name from the high-visibility jackets they wear, hurled stones and wooden planks at police, who responded with tear gas and baton charges.
“Casseurs”, or troublemakers, smashed the windows of banks, shops and estate agencies and torched cars around the Champs-Elysées and on the Left Bank. Many businesses were shuttered.
Protesters who masked their faces with scarves or balaclavas clashed with police in other cities including Bordeaux.
Christophe Castaner, the French interior minister, tweeted a photo of a van belonging to the anti-terrorism police on fire, and said the image filled him with "indignation and disgust".
He added: "Every day the police protect our citizens from terrorism. These attacks are intolerable. Everything will be done so the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice."
About 2,000 protesters have been injured, at least 100 seriously, and 1,000 police officers have been hurt since the unrest began, according to government figures. Eleven people have died, most of them in road accidents at blockades in the early days of the protests.
Several protesters and a police officer have lost eyes, including one of the figureheads of the “gilets jaunes”, Jérôme Rodrigues, who said he was hit by a 44 mm “defence ball” last month.
Eric Drouet, another “yellow vest” leader, said the incident justified an “unprecedented mass uprising”.
Police arrested at least 30 people on Saturday. The Interior Ministry said about 51,400 people had taken to the streets, including 4,000 in Paris. The figure is well below the 280,000 who demonstrated at height of protests.
Damien Abad, an MP from the main conservative opposition party, The Republicans, said: “We cannot tolerate this kind of violence week after week. All those who are attacking France and our democratic institutions must be punished severely. Law and order must be restored.”
Far-Right activists, ultra-Leftists and anarchists intent on causing violence and vandalising property have joined the yellow vest protests.
The protest came as police investigate what they said was an arson attack on the Brittany home of Richard Ferrand, the National Assembly speaker and a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron.
Several homes and offices of MPs from the president’s party have been attacked since the yellow vest movement began in November. A number of MPs have reported receiving threats by letter, social media or from demonstrators near their homes.