French police clash with 'yellow vests' protesters and fire tear gas as trouble erupts after Bastille Day parade in Paris

A fire in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as protesters linked to the 'yellow vests' movement demonstrated
AFP/Getty Images
James Morris14 July 2019

French police have clashed with "yellow vests" protesters in Paris's Champs Elysees avenue.

It came shortly after president Emmanuel Macron presided over the Bastille Day military parade alongside other European leaders.

The Paris boulevard had been reopened to traffic but a few hundred protesters from the grassroots movement immediately tried to occupy it.

France's BFM television station showed images of police firing tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom were hooded.

Firefighters deal with the aftermath after trouble erupted in Paris
AFP/Getty Images

They tried to block the road with metal barricades, dustbins and other debris.

Several loud bangs were then heard while protesters hurled objects at the police, booed and set a bin on fire.

Police charge at protesters linked to the 'yellow vests' movement
AFP/Getty Images

Earlier, it had been reported 152 "yellow vests" were detained near the Champs Elysees as they tried to stage a protest.

French authorities had banned all "yellow vests" protests around the area, but several demonstrators managed to get on the avenue and turned their backs, booed and whistled while Mr Macron was riding by at the start of the parade.

French military vehicles drive down the Champs Elysees during the annual Bastille Day military parade
EPA

Weekly demonstrations by the protesters - named after the high-visibility jackets they wear - have dwindled to just a few hundred people over the past few weeks, from around 300,000 nationwide in November.

Flags of the 10 countries of the European Intervention Initiative - a joint military pact created last year - led Sunday's military parade down the Champs Elysees.

Mr Macron was heckled by some protesters during the parade
EPA

The display included over 4,000 armed forces, 69 planes and 39 helicopters.

Mr Macron was joined by other leaders including German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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