Gilet jaunes: Yellow vest protesters fight police, ransack shops and set fire to bank in Paris

Interior minister condemns 'ultra violent' group as city is ransacked

Fireman tries to extinguish a blaze at a luxury store on the Champs Elysees (EPA)

Yellow vest protesters hurled stones at police officers, ransacked shops along the Champs-Elysees and set fire to a bank, as Paris saw its 18th consecutive weekend of protests.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons at the anti-government demonstrators after the protests turned violent.

Firefighters rescued two people from a burning bank, with 11 people suffering minor injuries in the blaze.

Two news stands on the avenue also caught fire, as bonfires burned in the streets. By late afternoon police officers had arrested around 120 protesters.

A number of demonstrators ransacked the high-end Fouquet's restaurant and clashed with riot police in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

After weeks of relative calm and dwindling protester numbers, around 10,000 people are thought to have marched in Paris this Saturday, compared with just 2,800 a week ago.

Elsewhere in France, protesters were estimated at 4,500, compared with 4,200 last week.

Christophe Castaner, France's interior minister, said that although the Paris protest was relatively small, there were more than 1,500 "ultra violent" people out looking for trouble.

"They decided, perhaps as a swansong, to come attack - and I use their words - Paris," he said, adding more than 1,400 police officers were mobilised. "I've given instructions to the police this morning for great firmness so that nothing slips by."

The protesters had promised to draw bigger numbers to mark the fourth month since the anti-government movement erupted in mid November, over since-scrapped fuel tax hikes and the high cost of living.

Named after vests French drivers have to keep in their cars, the revolt has now swelled into a broader movement against Emmanuel Macron and his economic reforms.

Paris was hit by some of the worst riots in decades in December, after the yellow vest demonstrations led to looting and vandalism.

But the protests, held each Saturday in cities and towns across France, have been getting smaller.

After the spike in violence, Mr Macron offered a package of concessions worth more than 10 billion euros (£8.5b) aimed at boosting the incomes of the poorest workers and pensioners.

His government ordered police to crack down on the protests in January, leading to complaints of police brutality.

The 41-year-old former investment banker also launched a series of national debates which are aimed at determining what policies people want the government to focus on.

Saturday's protests coincide with the end of the debates.

Additional reporting by agencies