'Complete civil disobedience': Yellow Vests relaunch protests across France

Organisers of France's Yellow Vest protest movement have called for a major demonstration on Saturday on the Champs-Elysées, despite police orders forbidding access to large areas of central Paris.

Yellow Vest protesters on the Champs Elysees in Paris in November 2018. Lucas BARIOULET / AFP

Protest marches have been called for Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, Nice, Bordeaux and Strasbourg.

Invoking the potential risk of public disturbances, the Paris police chief, Didier Lallement, has forbidden any meeting of Yellow Vest supporters in central parts the French capital, including the Champs-Elysées shopping area, the official presidential residence at the Elysée Palace, or the seat of French government at the National Assembly. 

#12Septembre | Le préfet de Police a interdit les rassemblements se revendiquant du mouvement "des Gilets Jaunes" à compter du vendredi 11 septembre à 18h dans plusieurs secteurs de la Capitale ainsi que deux manifestations ce samedi 12 septembre 👇 pic.twitter.com/hRtXzx616H

— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) September 10, 2020

Several previous Yellow Vest demonstrations have resulted in pitched battles and the widespread destruction of property.

Officials expect up to 5,000 protesters in Paris on Saturday, with about one quarter of them described as "potentially violent", a police source told AFP.

On Friday, thousands indicated on social media that they planned to join the banned Champs-Elysées demonstration.

'Give them hell'

One of the key figures of the movement, Jérôme Rodrigues, has called for "complete civil disobedience".

In an internet message, Rodrigues, who suffered eye and facial injuries during a Yellow Vest demonstration in January 2019, called on activists to refuse to present their identity cards to police officers on Saturday.

Le 12 septembre, on ne décline pas notre identité. Dans le pire des cas, vous passerez 4 heures maximum au commissariat. Mais auront-ils suffisamment de place pour tous nous accueillir ?#DesobeissanceCivile #12septembre pic.twitter.com/Vv3ikAINhO

— Opérations Spéciales GJ (@OSGiletsJaunes) September 7, 2020

"Even if you have to make a little detour to the local police station to have your ID checked, which will take maximum four hours," his message continues. "But will they have room for all of us? 

"Between losing an eye and giving them hell...just refuse all cooperation."

In a separate internet exchange with the police union Synergie-officiers, Rodrigues compared the forces of law and order in the French capital to "a bunch of Nazis".

📢🧔🏻 vous irez aussi porter plainte face aux insultes qu’ils me lancent ! chez vous la justice ne marche que dans un sens et je le répète vous m’avez mutilé vous m’avez insulté et jamais je ferais silence ! pic.twitter.com/VcYsaa8k1Z

— Jerome Rodrigues Officiel (@J_Rodrigues_Off) September 10, 2020

Police representatives have promised to take legal action against him. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin expressed his full support for the officers.

The Yellow Vest movement began on 17 November 2018 as a citizens' reaction to government proposals to increase fuel taxes.

Gradually broadening its anti-elitist call for increased social and fiscal justice in France, many of the weekend protests degenerated into violent clashes involving demonstrators, anarchists, criminal elements and the police.