France's 'yellow vest' protesters back on streets

PARIS, Jan 05 (AFP): France's "yellow vest" protesters were back on the streets again on Saturday as a government spokesman denounced those still protesting as hard-liners who wanted only to bring down the government.

Several hundred protestors gathered on the Champs Elysees in central Paris, where around 15 police wagons were also deployed, an AFP journalist said. Marches were underway in several other cities across France.

On Friday, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux denounced those still protesting as "agitators who want insurrection and, basically, to overthrow the government".

This is the eighth Saturday of protests called by the grass-roots movement. The numbers turning out have fallen steadily since the start of the demonstrations in November.

But the arrest on Wednesday of Eric Drouet, one the movement's spokesman, sparked anger among his supporters. Paris police picked up Drouet, who already faces trial for carrying a weapon at a previous demonstration, and detained him for around 10 hours.