Paris Police Use Tear Gas as Clashes Begin at Yellow Vest Protests - Photos, Video

PARIS (Sputnik) - Law enforcement officers in Paris have begun using tear gas against Yellow Vest protesters who have gathered at Place Wagram in the French capital, a Sputnik correspondent at the scene reports on Saturday.

Demonstrators began to gather at roughly 09:00 GMT, and are expected to begin marching in the direction of the Montmartre district at 12:30 GMT.

The situation was calm at first, although some protesters began throwing stones at police officers and setting fire to the contents of trash containers, which prompted law enforcement officers to use tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

#SputnikPhotos | Les #Giletsjaunes défilent de nouveau à #Paris après des mois de confinementhttps://t.co/dHO9vEAqvD#12septembre pic.twitter.com/aTpXkVJilL

— Sputnik France (@sputnik_fr) September 12, 2020

​Earlier in the day, the Paris Police Prefecture reported that 128 people were detained on Saturday morning after law enforcement officers found objects such as knives and axes while conducting searches of protesters.

#Paris Demo has just began and police are already using tear gas #GiletsJaunes #Macron #12septembre #France

pic.twitter.com/tPU2nUutws

— nonouzi (@Gerrrty) September 12, 2020

​Demonstrations are planned across Paris and a number of other French cities on Saturday.

The Yellow Vest protests burst onto the scene in 2018, after what started initially as demonstrations against fuel tax hikes developed into a nationwide movement.