‘Yellow vest’ protestors face tear gas, pepper spray in fifth weekend of chaos

Eight people are now dead as France’s violent “yellow vest” protests entered their fifth weekend, with angry crowds facing tear gas and pepper spray.

An eighth person had died in the fifth week of the “yellow vest” protests, French officials confirmed today.

France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the person died on Friday night, but provided no other details.

It’s believed it happened on a roundabout in the French countryside, according to AP.

Fireworks explode on French riot police vehicles launched by protesters. Picture: Georges Gobet/ AFP

Riot police used pepper spray against “yellow vest” protesters today. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The chaos commenced again this morning with police spraying anti-government demonstrators with pepper spray during a scuffle which broke out on the Champs-Elysees boulevard.

Mr Castaner said about 69,000 police officers were active today with a reinforced presence in the cities of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris today. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in Paris, which was been the epicentre of the mayhem since mid-November, launching fireworks at police.

Disturbing pictures showed riot cops appearing to kick a man who is cowering on the floor while officers fire tear gas grenades in an attempt to disperse the crowds of rampaging demonstrators.

Police said 115 people were arrested in Paris, although no details have been given about why they were taken into custody.

Police launched tear gas at the “yellow vest” protesters. Picture: Abdul Abeissa/AFP

An injured man is helped by police forces. Picture: Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP

Police were positioned around central train stations and along the famed Champs-Elysees, where shops were closed and their windows boarded up in anticipation of the violence.

Protesters ignored calls from Emmanuel Macron’s government to suspend the demonstrations following a shooting in Strasbourg earlier this week.

The “yellow vests” emerged in mid-November, protesting against fuel tax increases and morphing into an expression of rage against the government.

The movement has now spread to Belgium and the UK.

This weekend marked the “yellow vests” fifth weekend of protesting. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

A driver in Belgium, near the border with France, was killed on Friday evening after a hitting a truck which had slowed because of a “yellow vest” blockade, a government official said.

He was the seventh person to have died in incidents linked to the anti-government protests.

Women dressed as "Marianne", the national symbol of the French Republic faced police. Picture: Valery Hache/AFP

On the Champs-Elysees, a handful of topless activists from the feminist protest group Femen faced police near the Elysee Palace, the president’s residence.

Successive weekends of protests in Paris have lead to vandalism and violent clashes with security forces.

“France needs calm, order and a return to normal,” President Macron said, after a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels.

In a televised address to the nation on Monday, the French leader announced wage rises for the poorest workers and tax cuts for pensioners in further concessions meant to end the movement but many said they would maintain pressure.

The government, as well as several unions, called on protesters to stay off the streets today after four people were killed in a gun attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg.

WHO ARE THE YELLOW VESTS?

The “yellow vest” protests began in mid-November, creating the worst disturbances Paris has seen since 1968. Picture: Valery Hache/AFP

The yellow vest movement is led by protesters wearing the distinctively coloured roadside safety vests used by motorists known as gilets jaunes in French

In the past three weeks, demonstrators have been setting up roadblocks across the country and their movement has won wide public support.

Riot police were overrun during the first weekend in December as protesters wrought havoc in Paris’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.

Demonstrations flared up once again on December 8 with an estimated 5,000 taking to the streets for a “Day of Rage”.

Rioters burned dozens of cars, looted boutiques and smashed up luxury private homes and cafes in the worst disturbances the capital has seen since 1968.

The movement was organised online and has no clear leadership, making talks all the more complicated for the government.

Its supporters cut across age, job profile and geographical region.

Most want the government to scrap the new fuel taxes, hold a review of the tax system and raise the minimum wage.

There have also been calls to roll back Macron’s tax cuts for the wealthy and his economic program, which is seen as pro-business.

One of the eight spokesmen for movement Christophe Chalençon called on President Macron to resign.

This is an edited version of a story that originally appeared on The Sun. It is republished with permission.