Police intercepted hundreds of vehicles trying to enter Paris this weekend as part of a protest against France’s coronavirus regulations.
Tear gas was fired in the city as demonstrators defied an order banning the “Freedom Convoy,” with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin saying that more than 300 tickets had been handed out and 54 people arrested.
Authorities have deployed more than 7,000 officers over the next three days in a bid to stop the demonstrators.
Despite those efforts, some vehicles managed to arrive at the Arc de Triomphe in the city, and tear gas was fired at demonstrators on the nearby Champs-Élysées avenue.
The groups were inspired by the self-styled Canadian “Freedom Convoy” which has disrupted trade on the US border and occupied streets in Ottawa. Similar demonstrations have started to spread around the world.
Austria and Belgium have banned such convoys from entering their capitals, with similar demonstrations also emerging in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
On Saturday, police in Paris said they had intercepted hundreds of vehicles heading into the city. Two were allegedly carrying knives, hammers and petrol canisters, and five were allegedly carrying slingshots.
On Sunday morning Paris Police tweeted images showing officers in place at the Champs-Élysées preparing for possible further confrontations.
Images: Préfecture de Police, via Twitter.
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