French riot police are now using semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest pro

[mountaineer]

I was going to add this to one of the France "yellow vest" threads but couldn't find one. Feel free to merge it, if appropriate.

French riot police are now using semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest protestors as Macron's law and order crisis spirals

    *Officers were filmed brandishing weapons by Arc de Triomphe in Paris today
    *Riot police were on crowd control duty today facing off a mob of Gilet Jaunes
    *Rifles at demonstration by unarmed citizens show how Macron crisis intensifies
    *Last week former conservative minster said live fire should be used on 'thugs'
By Sophie Law For Mailonline
Published: 12:12 EST, 13 January 2019 | Updated: 13:13 EST, 13 January 2019

French riot police have deployed semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest protestors for the first time.

Officers were filmed brandishing Heckler & Koch G36 weapons by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Saturday afternoon.

The presence of semi-automatic rifles at a demonstration by unarmed French citizens shows how President Emmanuel Macron’s law and order crisis spirals.  It comes after former conservative minister Luc Ferry called for live fire to be used against the ‘thugs’ from the Yellow Vest movement who he says 'beat up police'.  ...

Live ammunition 30 cartridge magazines could be seen as officers marched the streets, although none were used as 5000 police were deployed on the streets of the French capital.

Yellow Vest protestor Gilles Caron said: ‘The CRS with the guns were wearing riot control helmets and body armour – they were not a specialised firearms unit.

‘Their job was simply to threaten us with lethal weapons in a manner which is very troubling. We deserve some explanations.’  ...

Full story and photos at Daily Mail

[Fishrrman]

Yellow Vest protestor Gilles Caron said: ‘The CRS with the guns were wearing riot control helmets and body armour – they were not a specialised firearms unit.
‘Their job was simply to threaten us with lethal weapons in a manner which is very troubling. We deserve some explanations.’

The "explanation" is:
"You attack us again -- we shoot you."

[Frank Cannon]

Not a good plan on the Popo's part. The French like to handle unresponsive government in more drastic measures than the US....

[mountaineer]

THOSE FRENCH YELLOW VESTS MEAN BUSINESS
Tim Blair, The Daily Telegraph
January 12, 2019 4:47am

Thousands of speed cameras all over France have been burned, covered or otherwise rendered useless by yellow vest protesters:

    A spokesman for the French Ministry of the Interior told CNN that 60 percent of France's speed cameras, about 3,200 in total, have been vandalized since November …

France has nearly twice as many speed cameras as it does annual road deaths.

    The vandalism targeting cameras is seen as a response to the country's government lowering speed limits in July. According to     CNN, speed limits were decreased from 56 mph to 50 mph on two-lane highways – a decision officials made in an effort to reduce vehicle accidents and deaths.

Oh, please. A 10kmh speed reduction will do nothing to reduce crashes, but is guaranteed to boost revenue.   

But the protesters feel the speed cameras are only a way for the country to take money from poor, the BBC reported.  ...

More at the Daily Telegraph

[Smokin Joe]

Yellow Vest protestor Gilles Caron said: ‘The CRS with the guns were wearing riot control helmets and body armour – they were not a specialised firearms unit.
‘Their job was simply to threaten us with lethal weapons in a manner which is very troubling. We deserve some explanations.’

The "explanation" is:
"You attack us again -- we shoot you."

Just a nervous finger away from a "Bloody Sunday" event.

[ABX]

They need to Back the Blue and support the police. If the police say to stop protesting high taxes, you stop. If the police say to stop running, you stop. If the police say to stop resisting, you stop. If the police say to turn in your guns, you turn them in. If the police tell you to get on the box cars, you get in.

[Sanguine]

They need to Back the Blue and support the police. If the police say to stop protesting high taxes, you stop. If the police say to stop running, you stop. If the police say to stop resisting, you stop. If the police say to turn in your guns, you turn them in. If the police tell you to get on the box cars, you get in.

Don't do that.  "Backing the Blue" does not equal giving into fascists. 

[mountaineer]

They need to Back the Blue and support the police. If the police say to stop protesting high taxes, you stop. If the police say to stop running, you stop. If the police say to stop resisting, you stop. If the police say to turn in your guns, you turn them in. If the police tell you to get on the box cars, you get in.

Yeah, what he said.
No, wait.

[dfwgator]

Not a good plan on the Popo's part. The French like to handle unresponsive government in more drastic measures than the US....

"Do you hear the people sing?"

[mountaineer]

Gilets Jaunes: French 'flash-ball' row over riot-gun injuries
    13 minutes ago

Appalling injuries caused by French police riot guns during the yellow-vest protests have triggered anger and calls for the weapon to be banned.

The LBD launchers known by protesters as "flash-balls" have left 40 people severely wounded, reports say.

One man emerged from a coma on Friday six days after being hit in the head.

France's human rights chief has called for the weapon's use to be halted, but the government insists it is deployed only under very strict conditions.

Since the "gilets-jaunes" protests began in November, 3,000 people have been injured or even maimed and thousands more arrested. ... Ten deaths have been linked to the unrest. Nine involved traffic accidents and an 80-year-old woman died after being hit in the face by a tear gas grenade while closing the shutters at her home. ...

One teenager called Lilian Lepage was hit in the face in Strasbourg on Saturday and suffered a broken jaw. His mother said he had been shopping in the city centre when a policeman fired at him. ... Full story and photos at BBC