A “yellow vest” protester in France had his fingers ripped off during clashes at the parliament building in Paris, as the protests went into their 13th week.
The protester attempted to pick up a rubber pellet grenade and it exploded in his hand, French media reported.
There was also an arson attack on the home of the head of France’s National Assembly, though it was not clear if the attack was linked to the protests.
The “yellow vest” protests began in mid-November over fuel taxes.
They have since broadened into a revolt against the President, Emmanuel Macron, and a political class seen as out of touch with common people.
According to French government figures, 51,400 people joined the protests on Saturday, 4,000 of them in Paris. That was down from the previous week, when official figures put the number at 58,600, 10,500 in Paris.
Representatives for the yellow vests disputed the previous week’s numbers, claiming the turnout was higher.
In Paris on Saturday, the protesters marched from the Champs-Elysees to the city’s parliament buildings, where a violent contingent broke down barriers and threw projectiles at police. Police responded with tear gas and anti-riot munitions.
