Macron: Yellow Vests Want to 'Destroy Republic', Recent Rally Not Demonstration

On 16 March, some venues and stores, including the Fouquet’s restaurant, a Hugo Boss menswear store and a Banque Tarneaud branch in Paris, were vandalised and looted during a Yellow Vests protest.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the turmoil organised by the Yellow Vests saying that the protesters were seeking to "destroy the Republic".

"What happened today at the Champs-Élysées is no longer a demonstration. These people want to destroy the Republic. Everyone who was there is complicit in what happened," Macron said in a tweet. 

Ce qu’il s’est passé aujourd’hui sur les Champs-Élysées, ça ne s’appelle plus une manifestation. Ce sont des gens qui veulent détruire la République, au risque de tuer. Tous ceux qui étaient là se sont rendus complices de cela.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) 16 марта 2019 г.

In a tweet published earlier, the French president pointed out to the need for taking "strong decisions" to tackle the disorders. 

READ MORE: 18th Weekend of Yellow Vests Protests in Paris (VIDEO)

Emmanuel Macron's remarks follow reports published a day before that a number of venues on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris were vandalised and ransacked amid a Yellow Vests rally. 

Yesterday's rally took place during the 18th week of protests, which started in mid-November after the government announced its plans to spike fuel taxes. While the French government abandoned this proposal and took some steps to improve the country's socioeconomic situation, protesters continue to take to the streets across France every weekend to express their wider discontent with the government's policies.