French police deployed several armoured cars and police vans at the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday morning, footage broadcast by BFM TV and amateur videos from the scene published online show.
🚨 #France ℹ #Paris: The #GiletsJaunes begin to gather at the place de l’étoile, the cops are positioned #ActeXI #26January#Resistance #YellowVests #GJ #GiletsJaune #Solidarity ✌ pic.twitter.com/j6OzrFtEg8
— Partisan FB🏴 (@PartisanDE) 26 января 2019 г.
The deployment follows reports of several dozen Yellow Vests protesters gathering near the monument on the Champs Elysees ahead of expected protests on Saturday.
Les GJ se rassemblent devant l’arc de triomphe avant de partir vers Bastille. @RFI @GauquelinIgor pic.twitter.com/YPLQ9MF7gB
— Rogez olivier (@orogez) 26 января 2019 г.
No clashes with police were reported as of 10 am local time.
Read More: Yellow Vests Protests Continue for 11th Week in Paris (VIDEO)
At least 2,000 protesters and 1,000 police officers have been injured in the Yellow Vests movement, which began on 17 November, initially to protest a proposed diesel tax hike, but has since evolved into a broader movement against Macron's government. Entering their 11th week, there is no still indication of the protests letting up.
The Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous and revered landmarks in all of France and the pride of Paris, was repaired last month after being damaged in protests by a group of vandals. The damage included spray-painted graffiti demanding President Macron's resignation, as well as defacement with anti-government slogans. The statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic on display at the entrance to the Arc de Triomphe museum, was smashed during the violence.
The Arc de Triomphe stands over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, commemorating the 1.4 million French soldiers who died in WWI.
