Over 200 arrested in France as Yellow Vest protests turn violent

Muscat: Police in France say they have arrested more than 200 people after violence broke out in a the latest round of Yellow Vest protests.

Authorities confirmed that there were incidents of looting and rioting on the Champs-Élysées.

Police said that 60 individuals, including 17 police officers, were wounded in the latest flare-up of protests.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the violence, saying, "What happened today on the Champs-Élysées is no longer a manifestation. They are people who want to destroy the Republic, at the risk of killing. Everyone who was there was complicit in it."

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, "Like a huge majority of French people, I feel very angry today. Today's acts are not the work of protesters, but looters, arsonists and criminals. No cause justifies this violence.”

The Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement began as non-violent protests against the fuel tax rise in France but have since escalated into violent protests against perceived elitism.