blogfactory.co.uk :Crowds gathered in the French capital on Sunday to attend a global march for the climate, despite the ban on gatherings enforced by French authorities. When one of the groups charged a police cordon, tear gas was deployed to push them back.”Huge amounts” of tear gas were fired at protesters near Place de la Republique in central Paris, according to witnesses’ reports on Twitter, with objects flying in the direction of security forces.The march, which was set to take place in dozens of cities around the world, was restricted in the French capital falling under the ban on gatherings introduced after the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris.La Republique metro station, closest to the scene, has been closed by authorities, citing security measures.The riot police repeatedly attempted to push back the activists, spraying the crowds with tear gas. Ahead of the summit, 24 green activists were put under house arrest, with police saying they were suspected of planning violent protests, according to Reuters.Over 200 people were arrested in the scuffles, AFP reported citing officials. The detained protesters were found to have been in possession of projectiles and other suspicious objects, AP cited Paris police chief Michel Cadot as saying. About 200 to 300 people who violated the official protests ban during the state of emergency have been identified by police, Cadot added.While it was initially expected that some 400,000 people would gather in Paris ahead of UN climate change talks taking place at Le Bourget outside the capital, hundreds of activists took to the streets despite the emergency measures.Protesters first formed a human chain, and then around 200 activists, some wearing masks, clashed with police on a street leading to the square, Reuters reported.Some 200 people have been arrested in the French capital of Paris during a rally to urge a deal at an upcoming United Nations summit on climate change.The rally was held on Sunday despite a ban on all demonstrations under a state of emergency announced in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the French capital.The rally, which had been cancelled by authorities, was nevertheless held by some 10,000 people, who formed a three-kilometer human chain along the route of the demonstration.While the gathering was mostly peaceful, clashes erupted in Place de la République Square when a number of masked demonstrators started hurling objects at police. The arrests were made during the clashes.A state of emergency has been in place in France ever since November 13, when a string of coordinated terrorist attacks killed some 130 people and injured 350 others in Paris.The UN conference on climate change – dubbed COP21 – is due to be held amid heavy security in the French capital on Monday. The confab is hoped to produce a deal on cutting emissions that precipitate global warming.
