If the French Revolution is anything to go by, when the people are unhappy, heads roll.

Only 18 months after taking office, French president Emmanuel Macron is facing the “worst violence in central Paris in a decade”, following protests that started on Saturday in the French capital.

Over the weekend more than 130 000 people demonstrated across France in the gilets jaunes movement (translated to the Yellow Vests movement), and there were more than 580 roadblocks around the country.

The protests, which began as dissent against rising fuel taxes, quickly turned violent, escalating into an anti-government movement.

According to The Guardian, more than 100 people were injured as cars and buildings were set alight.

You can see footage of the violence below:

Despite escalating violence, officials opted for containment strategies.

The Élysée and key ministers appeared to rule out imposing any kind of state of emergency after thousands of masked protesters from the gilets jaunes –named for their fluorescent yellow jackets – fought running battles with riot police, torched cars, set fire to banks and houses and burned makeshift barricades.

A presidential source told Reuters that the meeting discussed how to adapt security forces and tactics to contain future protests.

Macron, who had said he would “never accept violence”, instructed the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, to meet what he has called legitimate protest groups and opposition politicians this week in an effort to calm tensions and stop “professional” rioters from infiltrating street demonstrations.

The Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said 378 people were in custody, including 33 under the age of 18. He said that some of the alleged protestors were just men between the ages of 30 and 40 who pulled through for the sole purpose of fighting with police.

Macron made the following statement regarding the protests:

TIME reports that hours after he flew back to the French capital from the G-20 summit in Argentina, Macron held an emergency meeting at the Elysee presidential palace.

At the same time, clean-up crews worked to remove burned cars, broken glass and graffiti from the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue and other top Paris sites including the Arc de Triomphe.

You can see the aftermath of the riots below:

Macron has asked Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to meet with the heads of France’s major political parties and representatives from the grassroots movement behind the protests to negotiate a peaceful outcome.

[source:guardian&time]