The minister's statement followed a tweet by left-wing lawmaker Jean-Luc Melenchon, who blamed police for behaving like "a government militia" and causing chaos on the streets during the protest rallies.
Castaner, in turn, blasted "barbaric" Yellow Vests for attacking police officers and preventing firefighters from putting out the fires started by the demonstrators on the makeshift barricades and parked vehicles in downtown Paris on Saturday.
We saw few protesters... but also morons, bullies and thugs.Appearing on French TV, he said that the protesters have been voicing "legitimate demands for democratic and social justice," but their rallies became regularly marred by violence carried out by the "ultra-left and ultra-yellow radicals."
"The original Yellow Vest movement is an expression of deep anger that we have to hear and answer to. At the same time, there is this violence that has become connected with the movement," Castaner told reporters.
Comment: The protests are over a year old and show no signs of abating, because the French government has neither heard nor answered. And Castaner wonders why the ante has been upped
Sunday marked a year since the start of the nationwide anti-government protests in France. The demonstrations were initially launched against government-planned fuel price hikes. Authorities later dropped their plans but people on the streets rallied further, calling for broader social reforms.
The rallies frequently descended into fierce clashes with police and rioting in Paris, as well as other major cities. While the government condemned the acts of vandalism, the protesters have slammed police brutality, as many of them were injured and dozens lost eyesight from rubber bullets.
Comment:
- Serious injuries inflicted on Yellow Vest protestors are unprecedented, say French ER doctors
- Yellow Vests mutilated by 'sublethal' police weapons organize anti-brutality association
- RT France reporter shot in the face during police crackdown on Yellow Vest protesters in Paris
- Eye injuries epidemic at Yellow Vest protests: French ophthalmologists demand Macron ban rubber bullets
- 'It was his right to protest, now he has no livelihood' - Father of Yellow Vest whose hand was blown off speaks out
Castaner's belligerent tone will likely add fuel to the Yellow Vests' longtime complaints that the government officials have been condescending and dismissive towards them.
Last week, Prime Minister Eduard Philippe drew criticism after calling gang-related rioters in a commune outside Paris a "small gang of imbeciles."
The opposition politicians argued that the government uses this type of rhetoric to downplay its failure to maintain law and order crime-infested areas.
Comment: #ICYMI hits the Paris streets to see how the movement is fairing: