200 Arrested Amid Violent Protests at Paris Climate Talks

French police arrested over 200 people in the country’s capital Paris on Sunday, after protests against global warming that broke out on the sidelines of this week’s climate talks turned violent.

Hundreds turned up at the city’s Place de la Republique despite warnings against mass demonstrations and threw shoes, bottles and even candles picked up from a nearby memorial to the 130 victims of this month’s Paris terrorist attacks, CNN reported.

Officers retaliated by deploying tear gas on the protesters and making mass arrests.

The Paris terrorist attacks, and the heightened security concerns resulting from them, have prompted authorities to warn against mass demonstrations. More peaceful protesters showed their dissent by placing rows of shoes on the street to represent their inability to physically be present.

Close to 150 world leaders are in Paris for the Conference of Parties or COP21, also known as the Paris Climate Change Conference, an annual summit to discuss solutions to global environmental issues.

[CNN]

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