French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is holding crisis talks Monday with representatives of major political parties in the wake of violent anti-government protests that have rocked Paris.
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More than 100 people were injured in the French capital and 412 have been arrested over the weekend during France’s worst urban riot in years, with dozens of cars torched.
President Emmanuel Macron, just back from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, held an emergency meeting on security with Philippe on Sunday and the government hasn’t ruled out the possibility of imposing a state of emergency.
It was the third straight weekend of clashes in Paris. The protests began last month with motorists upset over a fuel tax hike and have grown to encompass a range of complaints that Macron’s government doesn’t care about the problems of ordinary people.
Activists wearing fluorescent yellow high-visibility vests torched cars, smashed windows, looted stores, threw rocks at police and tagged the Arc de Triomphe with graffiti on Sunday. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, closing down dozens of streets and Metro stations to contain the riot.
More anti-government protests took place on Monday as ambulance workers took to the streets and gathered close to the National Assembly in downtown Paris to complain about changes to working conditions. Protesters set tires on fire and blocked traffic as an activist held a board reading “The State killed me.”
