France

Convoy of Freedom: Paris under siege

- 6:02 pm
Window broken by a policeman (Capture Twitter @anonymous citizen)

Window broken by a policeman (Capture Twitter @anonymous citizen)

Despite the ban on entering the capital, thousands of vehicles managed to enter Paris where clashes took place with the police, particularly around the Arc de Triomphe.

Paris in a state of siege, this Saturday February 12, 2022. Firstly, by the machines of the police force which had the order to forbid the access of the capital to the vehicles of the Convoy of the Freedom. Then by the thousands of cars, campers and motorcycles that formed a huge traffic jam all around the city.

Fight at the top of the Champs-Elysée

This did not prevent many demonstrators from sneaking into the heart of the capital, abandoning for the most part their distinctive signs: yellow vests and tricolored flags, in particular. This is how a few hundred, even a few thousand people made it to the top of the most beautiful avenue in the world, to the chic district of the Étoile.
There again, police and gendarmes had taken position with their lifting machines and their armored vehicles to prevent any skidding. But soon enough, tear gas grenades were fired, making the atmosphere unbreathable. Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators. In the heat of the action, grenades landed in a nearby brewery, forcing the consumers, men, women and children, to flee in a cloud of toxic fumes.

Impoundment and fines

Finally, at the end of the afternoon, the Place de l’Étoile was completely evacuated. The police issued 337 tickets according to the figures provided by the Paris police prefecture, several hundred vehicles blocked at the entrances to Paris, several dozen sent to the impound lot.
However, not everything is settled. Many demonstrators said they wanted to stay in or near Paris in the coming days. Others were preparing to leave for Brussels, where the Freedom Convoys from several European countries will converge.
To be continued…

France,