Police face protesters in Nantes as Yellow Vest marches resume
Yellow Vest protesters have clashed with security forces in French city of Nantes. A spokesman with the local prefecture says 21 people have been arrested.
A protestor lays on the ground as French police use water canon during an anti-government demonstration called by the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) movement in Nantes, Western France on September 14, 2019.
Hundreds of demonstrators faced police in a tense stand-off in the French city of Nantes on Saturday as revived "yellow vest" protests against the government of President Emmanuel Macron took place across the country.
Police responded with tear gas after some protesters threw projectiles. A spokesman with the local prefecture said 21 people had been arrested.
Television footage showed groups of black-clad protesters trying to break into shops, while police trucks carrying water cannon were seen arriving on scene.
The Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) protests, named after motorists' high-visibility jackets, began over fuel tax increases but morphed into a sometimes violent revolt against Macron and a government they see as out of touch.
The president has sought to ease tensions with $18.82 billion (17 billion euros) of countermeasures to boost the monthly minimum wage, remove some taxes, and offer relief to poor retirees. But he faces a new round of anger with a long-awaited reform that seeks to merge France's 42 different pension systems into a single points-based system.
Parisian commuters faced travel misery on Friday as metro workers went on strike over plans to reduce their retirement privileges.
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