An estimated 31,000 people joined Yellow Vest anti-government demonstrations across France on Saturday, Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 broadcaster, adding that 700 people had been detained.
The violence unfolded in the capital as several Yellow Vest protesters built barricades in the city centre and set them on fire.
French police deployed tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators in Paris on Saturday as massive crowds of Yellow Vest protesters swarmed into the heart of the capital on the 4th weekend of unrest, while hundreds were detained prior to and at the rallies.
Authorities had announced that they would close the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Delacroix arts museum and the Tuileries Garden on Saturday, citing safety concerns.
Law enforcement had deployed armored vehicles belonging to the French Gendarmerie – the military police. The hardware has been seen taking up positions near the iconic Arc de Triomphe, one of the major hotspots of recent clashes between law enforcement and protesters.
Authorities have also deployed thousands of police and security forces to the capital and other cities on Saturday, urging shops and restaurant around the famous Champs-Elysees to shutter. Museums, metro stations and the Tour Eiffel will also remain closed over the weekend.
France's interior minister Christophe Castaner had said “large scale” security operation would be launched on Saturday as they expect radical elements" infiltrate planned "yellow vest” protests, adding that "only a few thousand people" are expected to descend on the capital after the 8,000 protesters counted last weekend, "but among them are ultraviolent individuals”.
"These past three weeks have seen the birth of a monster that has escaped its creators," he stated, vowing "zero tolerance" towards those aiming to wreak further destruction and mayhem.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also announced on Friday evening that 89,000 police officers will be on duty across the country and armored vehicles will also be deployed in Paris, which was the scene of worst riots in decades last weekend.
The "yellow vest" movement began weeks ago, but has snowballed to take in other issues, including education reforms. But the demonstrations led to the worst violence in decades; dozens of vehicles were torched, shops looted and the Arc de Triomphe war memorial was wrecked. Only hundreds were arrested and scores injured in Paris.
Following last weekend’s riots in central Paris and dozens of other cities and towns across France, the government decided to abandon its plan to raise the fuel tax next year.
But protesters want the French president to go further to help hard-pressed households, including an increase to the minimum wage, lower taxes, higher salaries, cheaper energy, better retirement provisions. Some of them have demanded Emmanuel Macron’s resignation. They say he is part of an elitist coterie that neither understands, nor cares how they live.
The Yellow Vests' leader said the French government’s six-month moratorium on fuel tax hikes wasn’t what the Yellow Vests wanted, adding that people want "the baguette", not crumbs, and will take to the streets again on Saturday.
“We didn’t want a suspension, we want the past increase in the tax on fuels to be canceled immediately," Benjamin Cauchy, the organizer of the Yellow Vests movement, told BFM TV.
By announcing the half-year moratorium, government is “taking the French people for a ride” in an attempt to win time, he stated.
"The French are not sparrows and don’t want the crumbs the government is giving them. They want the baguette," he stressed.
The protest over the tax hike have been plaguing Paris and other major French cities since mid-November. The action, spearheaded by activists wearing yellow vests, has been mired in violence last Saturday and has seen over 130 people injured and at least 412 arrested. Four people, including an elderly woman, have died amid the fierce clashes between rioting demonstrators and police.