France's yellow vests angered at huge donations to rebuild Notre Dame
France's yellow vest protesters hit the streets for the 23rd straight weekend with a new target for their anger.
While most protesters are saddened by the fire that nearly destroyed the ancient cathedral of Notre Dame, they are apparently enraged at the elites donating a billion dollars for its reconstruction.
Many protesters are frustrated that the international effort to help Notre Dame has drawn more attention than their five-month-old Yellow Vest movement against wealth inequality, The Associated Press reported.
Many protesters were deeply saddened by the fire at a national monument. But many are angry at the $1 billion in Notre Dame donations that poured in from tycoons while their own demands remain largely unmet and they struggle to make ends meet.
Authorities deployed 5,000 police around Paris and warned protesters to keep away from Notre Dame and the banks of the Seine.
The Paris police headquarters said authorities detained 126 people by early afternoon and carried out spot checks of more than 11,000 people trying to enter the capital for Saturday's protests.
The protesters aren't necessarily objecting to rebuilding Notre Dame. They are objecting to the elites giving massive amounts of money to the effort while ignoring the plight of the middle and lower working classes. These are the people being taxed into poverty by the French government - with the support of the economic and cultural elites who can afford to pay the high taxes, or know how to avoid them.
President Macron says he has a new plan to try and meet some of the demands of the protesters. He was going to announce it earlier this week, until the Notre Dame fire put it on hold. I think we can be sure it won't be enough and the yellow vests will be in the streets of Paris next weekend.