Low level of mobilization at the fifth “yellow vests” movement in France with few violence incidents

The level of mobilization fell at the fifth movement of the “yellow vests” protesters on Saturday afternoon in France, where about 66 thousand people demonstrated across the country, representing half of the participants in the demonstrations a week ago, including a few thousand in Paris without repeating the scenes of recent violence, with limited violence incidents in number of cities.

The fifth Saturday of protests was a test of French President Emmanuel Macron, who was insulted by the protesters.

Friday’s appeal was for a return to “calm”, “order” and “normalcy” for the country, after it announced early this week measures to improve purchasing power to absorb an unprecedented social crisis.

After four people were killed in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening in an attack adopted by the Islamic state organization, calls were mounting for non-demonstration in both the political class and the moderate wing of the “yellow vests” movement.

Some 66,000 people took part in demonstrations across France until around 18:00 local time, according to the interior ministry, which accounted for half the number of participants in the demonstrations a week ago.

The ministry said it estimated 126,000 people had participated in the same places last week.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Saturday that eight people had died in events related to the demonstrations and called on demonstrators to stop the siege they imposed across the country.

“The safety of everyone must be Al Qaeda again”, he tweeted.

“Dialogue now must unite all those who want a transformation in France”.

French Parliament Speaker Richard Ferran welcomed the retreat of protests and said, “There was a great response to their demands”.

“It is time for dialogue”, Ferran said.

Contrary to what has been recorded in the previous movements, the rallies took place quietly, despite the fact that there were sporadic clashes on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris, where security forces tried to disperse 300 to 400 demonstrators.

Clashes also occurred in the south-west, especially in Toulouse, Nantes, Bouanson, Nancy, Saint-Etienne and Lyon.

In Bordeaux, protesters pelted the security forces with shells, fired water cannons and fired teargas.

In the afternoon, the number of people arrested in Paris reached 114, 32 of whom were released, compared to 598 arrested and 475 held in custody last week, according to the ministry.

In the rest of France, the number has fallen tenfold from the previous period.

In Lyon, one of the largest cities in France, only about 400 people gathered outside the Palace of Justice, compared with between 7,000 and 10,000 people last Saturday.

“It’s a little disappointing”, said demonstrator Francis Nicola, 49, a Lyon resident.

“We expected a bigger engagement”.

However in Bordeaux (south-west), the police counted 4500 people in the move, meaning that the proportion of demonstrators in the city remained the same compared to the past.

“Traffic in the streets may be reduced but not in the heads”, the 34-year-old Lorenzo Gennaro said, who demonstrated with about 150 people in Grenoble.

Even as the number of protesters declined, the members of the “yellow vests” remained hard on their demands.

“We’re angry”, said Presilia Ludowski, one of the faces of the movement in Paris.

President Macron has made a series of concessions for yellow vests, including a 100-euro increase in the minimum wage starting next year.

But the measures have not been unanimous among the protest movement, which calls for greater improvement in the purchasing power of the French.

The main demand of the movement is to hold a referendum on the demands of the movement, similar to those witnessed by Italy and Switzerland.

“Listen to the demand of the people to restore our freedom and sovereignty”, said Maxim Nicole, one of the leading figures in the movement.

In Paris, where pictures of violence surfaced last Saturday, armored vehicles were once again on the streets and 8,000 security personnel were deployed, while bank facades and shops were protected by panels.

“This is sad”, a tourist Borgon, 65, from Brittany said.

But in a sign of a drop in tension, the city’s main landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Orsay and Gran Ballet were opened after closing last week as well as supermarkets as Christmas approached.

“The situation is calm, unlike television”, said Tracy Montani, a 26-year-old Belgian tourist who stood in front of the famous Galeries Lafayette.

Cafes have also opened their doors in an attempt to win what they lost last Saturday, which has severely affected the economy.

“We are witnessing a move that is somehow taking the economy hostage”, Francois Palombi, president of France’s Merchants Association, told Radio France Inter, calling on the yellow vests to “return to their senses”.

Following the measures announced by Macron, the French government hopes to back support for the “yellow vests” movement, which started with a strong momentum before retreating after violence recorded during the previous moves.

Some 69,000 police officers were deployed throughout France on Saturday, up from 89,000 last week.

“You can return Flash Ball shots to their stores that you will not need today”, a security official said.

“We are not terrorists”.