A total of 118 people and 17 police officers were injured during Saturday’s Yellow Vest protests across France, the French Interior Minister said late Saturday.

Around 125,000 people participated in the nationwide protests, said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner in a press meeting.

Castaner said that 974 people were arrested during the protests.

Security measures were tight in France ahead of the demonstrations. Dozens of armored vehicles and 89,000 troops -- including 8,000 in Paris – were on duty.

On Saturday, protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- gathered along the famous Champs-Elysees in the capital Paris, where stores, restaurants, and banks were shut down due to violence.

French police used pepper spray against Yellow Vest protesters along the Champs-Elysees.

During Saturday's protests, the tension between demonstrators and the police flared up from time to time.

Thousands of yellow vest protesters have been gathering in major French cities including Paris since Nov. 17 to protest President Emmanuel Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation.

The demonstrators, who generally live in rural areas due to high rents in the cities, have called on Macron to cut fuel taxes and ease their economic difficulties.

According to a recent survey, 84 percent of the French people -- mostly from the middle-income group -- support the protests.

Fuel prices in France have risen more than 20 percent this year.

This article has been adapted from its original source. </s> Police officers advance during a ‘Yellow vest’ protest against higher fuel prices, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, on Saturday (Reuters photo)

PARIS — Police firing tear gas and water cannons clashed with protesters in Paris who are angry over rising fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies, the second weekend of "Yellow vest" protests across France.

A trailer was set on fire and exploded on the Champs-Élysées and a man who tried to attack fire fighters was overpowered by some of the demonstrators themselves. On the nearby Avenue de Friedland, police fired special rubber balls to control demonstrators.

Around 5,000 protesters had converged on the Champs-Élysées where police tried to prevent them from reaching the president's Elysée Palace nearby.

Protesters sang the national anthem and waved French flags while others carried signs with slogans saying "Macron, resignation" and "Macron, thief". Police detained 22 people in Paris and at protests in other parts of the country.

Protesters are opposed to taxes Macron introduced last year on diesel and petrol which are designed to encourage people to switch to cleaner forms of transport. Alongside the tax, the government has offered incentives to buy electric vehicles.

For more than a week, protesters clad in the fluorescent yellow jackets that all motorists in France must have in their cars have blocked highways across the country with burning barricades and convoys of slow-moving trucks, obstructing access to fuel depots, shopping centres and some factories.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner accused far-right leader Marine Le Pen of fanning the protests in the capital.

"The ultra-right is mobilised and is building barricades on the Champs-Élysées. They are progressively being neutralised and pushed back by police," he said.

In a message on Twitter, Le Pen said she had questioned why no protests were being allowed in the area.

"Today Mr Castaner is using this to target me. This is low and dishonest," she said.

Last Saturday, when nearly 300,000 people took part in the first yellow vest demonstrations countrywide, retailers' daily revenue fell 35 per cent, according to consumer groups.

By 2PM, more than 80,000 demonstrators were protesting across France, including 8,000 in Paris alone, according to figures from the interior ministry

Demonstrators were blocking access to shopping malls in Bollene and Carpentras in southern France while in Dole, in eastern France, a man carrying a weapon was overpowered on a roundabout occupied by demonstrators.

The unrest is a dilemma for Macron who casts himself as a champion against climate change but has been derided as out of touch with common folk and is fighting a slump in popularity.

Despite calls for calm from the government, the yellow vest protests have spread to French territories abroad, including the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where cars were set on fire.

While the movement, which has no leader, began as a backlash against higher fuel prices, it has tapped into broader frustration at the sense of a squeeze on household spending power under Macron's 18-month-old government.

Since coming to power, Macron has seen off trade union and street demonstrations against his changes to the labour rules, and overhauled the heavily indebted state rail operator. Foreign investors have largely cheered his pro-business administration.

But political foes have dismissed him as the "president of the rich" for ending a wealth tax, and voters appear to be growing restless, with the 40-year-old president's popularity slumped at barely 20 per cent. </s> France's interior minister says the protest violence in Paris is "under control" despite scattered tensions, but is calling it "totally unacceptable."

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner says 135 people were injured in the protests Saturday, including 17 police officers. He says "exceptional" security measures led to police putting nearly 1,000 people in custody.

Casataner estimated there were 10,000 yellow vest protesters in Paris on Saturday, among some 125,000 protesters around the country.

Protesters smashed store windows and set fires around Paris and clashed with police, who fired tear gas throughout the day in the French capital.​

Police were searching people throughout zones of central Paris and confiscating goggles and gas masks from journalists who use them to protect against tear gas while covering demonstrations.

Police barred some provincial "yellow vest" protesters from boarding trains to Paris in an effort to prevent a repeat of last week's rioting.

Eiffel Tower closed amid more Paris protests:

The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum will be among the dozens of popular tourist attractions shuttered in Paris as French authorities tighten security to prevent another outbreak of violence following three weeks of anti-government protests. 1:47

A group of four protesters who came to Paris from Normandy on Saturday said they saw people wearing yellow vests turned away at train stations all along their route. They said fellow protesters trying to reach Paris from Toulouse in southern France reported the same problems.

A national police spokesperson said officers stationed at train stations around the country are under orders to verify all passengers and turn away any carrying equipment that could be used to "cause damage to people or property."

Three Associated Press journalists had gas masks and protective goggles confiscated by police despite carrying government-issued press cards. The equipment allows journalists to cover violence between police and protesters when tear gas is fired.

Protesters face off with police on the Champs-Elysées on Saturday. (Christian Hartmann/Reuters)

Last weekend, more than 130 people were injured and over 400 were arrested in the worst street violence seen in Paris in decades.

Since the unrest began on Nov. 17 in reaction to a sharp increase in diesel taxes, four people have been killed in violence related to the protests.

The ongoing protests have led Global Affairs to issue a travel advisory to Canadians travelling to France. It's telling them to avoid areas where the demonstrations are taking place because "acts of vandalism and violence are very likely."

Saturday's 'yellow vest' protests: </s> PARIS (AP) — French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Paris on Saturday, as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the demonstrations, including a tense protest at the foot of the Champs-Elysees where protesters burned barriers and large plywood sheets, wielded placards reading "Death to Taxes" and upturned a large vehicle.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the clashes, but 18 were detained for various acts including for "throwing projectiles," Paris police told The Associated Press.

"It's going to trigger a civil war and me, like most other citizens, we're all ready," said Benjamin Vrignaud, a 21-year-old protester from Chartres.

The famed avenue was speckled with plumes of smoke and neon — owing to the color of the vests the myriad self-styled "yellow jacket" protesters don. French drivers are required to keep neon security vests in their vehicles.

Authorities said that 5,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees alone, with 23,000 protesters in total nationwide.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner denounced protesters from the far-right whom he called "rebellious," as he accused the Marine Le Pen, party leader of the National Assembly, of encouraging them.

In a week of demonstrations that has dominated national news coverage, hundreds have been injured and two people were killed in accidents stemming from the protests.

The Interior Ministry played down the scale of Saturday's demonstrations by highlighting that last week's protest comprised more than 100,000 protesters across the country.

The unrest is proving a major challenge for embattled Macron, who's suffering in the polls and the focus of rage for the demonstrators, who accuse the pro-business centrist of indifference to the struggles of ordinary French.

Macron has insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France's dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments — a cornerstone of his reforms of the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the "energy transition" easier on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Paris deployed some 3,000 security forces, notably around tourist-frequented areas, after an unauthorized attempt last week to march on the presidential Elysee Palace.

Authorities said protesters have so far not breached a no-go zone set up by authorities around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River.

But authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a motley group of people with broadly varying demands.

A man caused a dramatic standoff with police Friday when he donned a neon vest and brandished an apparent grenade at a supermarket in the western city of Angers. He was later arrested.

Taxes on diesel fuel have gone up seven euro cents (nearly eight U.S. cents) and are to keep climbing in the coming years, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne has said. The tax on gasoline is to increase 4 euro cents. Gasoline currently costs about 1.64 euros a liter in Paris ($7.06 a gallon), slightly more than diesel.

"When tax is no longer agreed to, it's the start of revolutions in France," far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told BFMTV.

Alex Turnbull, Chris Den Hond and Patrick Hermensen contributed to this report. </s> French minister: 135 people have been injured in protests Saturday; nearly 1,000 protesters are in custody

PARIS (AP) — French minister: 135 people have been injured in protests Saturday; nearly 1,000 protesters are in custody. </s> Clashes, tear gas, barricades and broken windows have been the sights in the French capital as the Yellow Vest protests rage throughout the country for the fourth week in a row. Hundreds were detained and dozens injured.A total of 125,000 people demonstrated across France , including 10,000 in Paris. Authorities saidthroughout the country.Saturday's clashes appeared to be even more heated and violent than last week's ones, RT's Charlotte Dubenskij, who has been reporting from the middle of Paris mayhem, said."In previous protests, the police have generally tried to hold back from deploying tear gas and even when they had objects pelted at them by the protesters, they've held back until they feel that's too much," she said.Several hours into the protests, trucks armed with water cannon arrived in the heart of the capital.Violence unfolded as severalBeefing up its presence, law enforcement also deployed armored vehicles belonging to the French Gendarmerie - the military police. The hardware was stationed right next to the Arc de Triomphe,which last week saw one of the fiercest battles between police and rioters.This is the fourth consecutive Saturday of Yellow Vest protests, withScores of people were also injured during the heavy-handed police response. Officers also suffered injuries while trying to handle the situation., which triggered the rallies. The unrest, however, is still far from losing steam. The demonstrators are billing their action on Saturday as "Act IV. Stay on the course" and are </s> • Road blocks are back in place in many French regions
• Interior Minister blasts the radicalisation of the movement
• Some 528 people have been injured since Saturday
• 92 police and gendarmes have been injured including 17 seriously

France's 'yellow vest' protests entered the fourth day on Tuesday with the government becoming increasingly concerned and frustrated that the movement has become radicalised.

After images were published online showing yellow vest wearing protesters burning a motorway toll at Virsac, the Interior Minister Christophe Castaner denounced a "total drift" of the movement suggesting that while it was mainly good natured on Saturday it has now become radicalised.

"We can see today that there has been a "total drift" (dérive totale") of a movement that was mainly held in good spirits on Saturday," he told France 2 radio.

"We can see there is a radicalisaton with incoherent demands that are all over the place," Castaner said.

The interior minister announced that 92 police and gendarmes had been injured.

Speaking on Monday evening Castaner appealed to protesters to end the road blocks.

"I make a solemn but firm appeal to protesters to carry on demonstrating if they wish but not to block or attack the people's freedom. The operations to clear the blockades will continue," he said.

Some 28,000 protesters took part in go-slow and road blocks on Monday but there has been no indication of how many people are expected to take part on Tuesday.

But a number of protesters were back building new barricades on Tuesday determined to keep up the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who they blame for a rise in the price of petrol and a loss of their spending power.

One person was accidentally killed and 528 people have been injured, 17 seriously, during the "Yellow Vest" protests. Protesters against police at Virsac on the A10 near Bordeaux. AFP) As the protests rumbled on, it emerged four men were taken into custody and charged as part of an anti-terrorist investigation in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne on Saturday -- the first day of the blockades -- accused of planning to take advantage of the police mobilisation for the demonstrations to mount a terror attack, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

One of the suspects texted his fiancee saying, "It's going to bleed on November 17", the newspaper said. Officials were not immediately available to READ ALSO: 'Stay calm': Advice for drivers in France caught in the 'yellow vest' road blocks On Tuesday, in the town of Cournon-d'Auvergne, located in the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand in central France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region a fuel depot has been blocked since Monday evening by protesters, according to local reports. Meanwhile in the Yonne department in the northeastern Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, the demonstrators set up on Tuesday morning on the roundabout of Rosa Park, south of the town of Sens after riot police were forced to unblock a site in the same area where 200 trucks were immobilized. In the Côtes-d'Armor, "yellow vests" are reportedly still present in the towns of Plaintel, Langueux, Loudéac, Dinan and Guingamp. However, dozens of "yellow vests" that were blocking the oil depot of Vern-sur-Seiche, south of Rennes, were removed by the riot police at around 6:45 am on Tuesday. In the Indre department, a filtered blockade is affecting traffic in the centre of the town of Saint-Maur, with traffic also being filtered in Argenton-sur-Creuse. In the town of Montierchaume, the roads are totally blocked between Châteauroux and Issoudun. And in Corsica, the "yellow vests" have lifted the blockade of the Marana oil depot, south of Bastia however they have warned that there may be further action. On Monday, security forces cleared protesters from several sites, including a suspension bridge leading to the southwestern city of Bordeaux that had been </s> Police fired teared gas and used water cannons Saturday to disperse protestors in Paris who are demonstrating for a second weekend against rising fuel prices.

The so-called “Yellow Jacket” activists, named after the neon vest worn by motorists during roadside emergencies, are calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to step back from planned hike of taxes on gasoline.

While the mass movement focuses on the gas tax, it highlights a broader array of frustrations with Macron. The French president was already struggling with approval scores in the mid-twenties and an underperforming economy before protests began.

His popularity has slipped to a new low, according to an opinion poll published Friday, which found only 26 percent of French people had a favorable opinion of Macron.

The French president is attempting to re-focus frustration with the tax onto rising global oil prices.

Police and government officials are increasingly concerned that far-right and far-left extremists are infiltrating the grassroots protesters, inciting violence.

By early Saturday afternoon, there were about 23,000 protesters across the country, out of which 8,000 in Paris, Le Monde reported.

Around 30,000 people are expected to protest in the French capital alone, Reuters reported.

Some protesters sang the national anthem while others carried signs with slogans saying “Macron, resignation” and “Macron, thief.”

Video footage showed thousands of protesters marching on the Champs-Élysées avenue, with firetrucks rushing to a vehicle demonstrators set on fire.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner spoke about a “mobilization of the extreme right” and said that security forces had anticipated the development.

About 280,000 took to the streets last weekend.

Police detained a man wearing an explosive device Friday night in Western France after he demanded that Yellow Jacket activists be given an audience with Macron.

Read this next: Pedro Sánchez: EU summit in doubt if no Gibraltar deal </s> PARIS (AP) - France's interior minister says the protest violence in Paris is "under control" despite scattered tensions but is calling it "totally unacceptable."

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner says 135 people were injured in the protests Saturday, including 17 police officers. He says "exceptional" security measures allowed nearly police to put nearly 1,000 people in custody.

Casataner estimated there were 10,000 yellow vest protesters in Paris on Saturday, among some 125,000 protesters around the country.

Protesters smashed store windows and set fires around Paris and clashed with police, who fired tear gas throughout the day in the French capital.
125,000 people demonstrate across France, according to the Minister of the Interior, with about 89,000 police officers on duty. 1,385 people are detained. Tear gas and pepper spray are used against the protesters and 135 people are injured.