French premier holds talks after protests

French president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe have held an emergency meeting about the escalating protests in Paris.

Statue of the Marianne inside the Arc de Triomphe

Protesters have run amok in Paris, torching cars, looting boutiques and damaging monuments. (AAP)

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is holding crisis talks with representatives of major political parties in the wake of violent anti-government protests that have rocked Paris.

More than 100 people were injured in the French capital and 412 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.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world