According to BFM TV, as of 06:00 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT) the police detained 52 protesters.
The protesters gathered at the Place de la Republique, where the Yellow Night action will take place. The police had to use tear gas as a result of clashes with activists.
France Info broadcaster reported that about 69,000 people took part in Yellow Vest rallies across France on Saturday, including 4,000 protesters in Paris alone. Last week, 84,000 protesters participated in the rallies in the country with 7,000 in the capital.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner condemned the violence in Paris.
"I resolutely condemn the violence and destruction conducted on Saturday both in Paris and in the province by hooligans in yellow vests," Castaner said on Twitter.
Je condamne avec la plus grande fermeté les violences et dégradations commises ce samedi encore, à Paris comme en province, par des casseurs camouflés en gilets jaunes.
— Christophe Castaner (@CCastaner) 26 января 2019 г.
Twitter users responded to Castaner's statement, condemning police actions.
— Edmond Dantès (@DiasLudovic) 26 января 2019 г.
"Credibility: —999999999999999999999999…," wrote one user.
— yannou (@yannouch92) 26 января 2019 г.
"I resolutely condemn the violence and destruction conducted on Saturday throughout France by weapons like FLASH BALL by citizens disguised as a police officer," wrote another user.
— B2A (@BMi_99999) 26 января 2019 г.
"I resolutely condemn this government of escalation, lies, verbal and police violence, shady business, amateurism, incompetence, incoherence and inconsistency," said another user.
READ MORE: Over 1,000 People Sentenced in France Over Yellow Vest Protests
Yellow Vest movement leader Jerome Rodriguez, an associate of the movement's founder Eric Drouet, sustained an eye injury in clashes at the Place de la Bastille in Paris as a result of which he may lose his eye.
This Saturday became the eleventh one in a row when France faced Yellow Vest protests that are often accompanied by riots and clashes of demonstrators with the police.
The wave of the so-called yellow vest protesters — named after the obligatory attribute of French drivers — started in France in mid-November. The French government has scrapped its planned hike in diesel taxes that sparked the protests and introduced a number of measures to resolve the nation's economic and social crisis, but the yellow vests have since morphed into a broader movement against government policies and rising living costs.
