[Gilet Jaunes / 17 Novembre / Soutien International / Anglais]
The French anarcho-syndicalists of CNT-AIT (F) (French section of the International Workers Association) in Toulouse participated on November 24 in a day of protest, organized by the movement of « yellow vests », which opposes the increase in fuel prices and the high cost of living in general. The march in Toulouse gathered some 5,000 people who marched through the center of the city, passing through the prefecture, the town hall and the train station.
The comrades also reported demonstrations in other cities in the region: 3,000 people took the streets of Montauban, 500 in Myre, etc.
In total, more than 100 thousand people participated in protest actions throughout France on that day. There were 1,619 acts of protest and in some cases, the authorities resorted to reprisals, with more than 130 people arrested.
About 12,000 protesters took to the streets in Bordeaux, but there were no serious incidents. In addition, almost without incident, the demonstration also took place in Lyon, where traffic on the A6, the main road of France, which connects Paris with Lyon and leads to the south of the country, was interrupted by the demonstrators.
In Paris, protesters tried to penetrate the Champs-Elysees. The police warned in advance that they would not allow the demonstrators there, and the police cordons prevented them from arriving, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. Convinced of the futility of their attempts to reach the Plaza de la Estrella, and seeing the central part of the Champs-Elysées, which led to the presidential palace were blocked, hundreds of demonstrators began to descend the avenue to the Plaza de la Concordia .
The police used tear gas grenades and then impressive sonic grenades. They attacked the protesters with special vehicles with water cannons, with the support of which the riot police began to push the crowd towards the Champs Elysees.
However, the protesters managed to build several barricades during this time, blocking the road. They used the metal elements of the scaffolding, the iron plates of the construction fences and various construction materials. The cobblestones flew to the policemen: part of the sidewalk on the Champs-Elysees was dismantled by the builders to place a large bicycle lane.
In the middle of the street, the protesters responded by dragging trucks and construction cranes and set them on fire. Firemen and police officers managed to extinguish part of the fire with great difficulty. The fire had time to spread to the front of one of the cafes, causing considerable damage.
In Paris, the day ended with 42 people arrested and 24 officers injured.
The anarcho-syndicalists welcome the fact that on November 24 in Paris, railway workers joined the protesters in the Champs-Elysees, it was reported that they intend to do so the next day of protest, on December 1. And in other cities of the country, groups of workers self-organize to expand and spread social anger (https://www.facebook.com/CNT.AIT.Toulouse)
At the same time, comrades are concerned that the extreme right and the supporters of the « National Movement » (the former « National Front ») are trying to infiltrate the protest movement. They wave national flags, distribute nationalist and anti-Semitic pamphlets, shouting slogans against immigrants …
From ‘El Miliciano’ 28 November 2018