Muslim
Times(Web Desk) – French soldiers will operate under strict instructions, but
will be allowed to fire live ammunition if necessary in the planned
“Yellow Vest” protests Saturday, the military governor of Paris says.
“If
their life or that of the people they defend is threatened, they can go up to
opening fire,” General Bruno Leray told Franceinfo Radio as
protesters geared up to take to the streets.
His
comments came after anti-government protesters burned down the famous Fouquet’s
restaurant, several shops and vehicles, as well as newspaper stands on the
Champs Elysees avenue in Paris last Saturday.
Following
the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron summoned a meeting with
his interior and justice ministers to assess the critical situation and
vowed to take “strong measures” to stop such riots from happening again.
Prime
Minister Edouard Philippe’s office announced on Monday the latest acts of
violence showed current security arrangements were insufficient.
The
office added that security forces should prepare for firmer measures to stop
the protests.
It
has now been confirmed that the French army will join some 5,000 police
deployed ahead of the 19th weekend of demonstration in a row in Paris.
General
Leray said an unspecified number of soldiers mainly used for anti-terrorism
duties would be defending public buildings this Saturday.
“They
are subject to the same legal framework as the internal security
forces,” he added, while conceding that soldiers have ‘different ways
of coping’ with trouble.
“They
are perfectly capable of appreciating the nature of the threat and answering it
in a proportionate manner,” said General Leray.
Police
in the French capital have banned protests on the Champs-Elysees on
Saturday, a week after anti-government demonstrators vandalized shops on the
iconic Paris avenue.
Protesters
will also be prevented from streets surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, at the top
of the avenue, as well as several nearby areas including the presidential
Elysee Palace and the National Assembly, the Paris prefect’s office said.
The
protests started in November to oppose now-abandoned fuel tax hikes and then
rapidly evolved into a broader movement against Macron and his
pro-business reforms, as well as elitism in general.
The
so-called Yellow Vest movement, one of the largest French demonstrations in
recent history, has marched every Saturday since November 2018.
Macron,
in response to the protests, offered the poorest laborers and
pensioners a package of concessions worth more than 10 billion euros ($11
billion) aimed at increasing their insufficient earnings.
The
measure, however, failed to end the demonstrations, while the protests quickly
spiraled into a broader movement.
The post Soldiers to open fire if necessary in Yellow Vest protests: Paris military general appeared first on Muslim Times.