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Cops have fired tear gas, stun grenades and a water cannon at the "yellow vest" protesters after some tried to breach security cordons on the Champs Elysees.

Eighty-one people have been arrested today, with protesters seen wielding catapults against police and lighting fires.

But the authorities fear the protests, ostensibly about fuel prices and living costs, have been hijacked by extreme political movements on the far-left and far-right.

(Image: REUTERS)

These groups could use the chaos to "challenge" the state and President Emmanuel Macron, police fear.

"We're worried that small groups of rioters that aren't yellow vests will infiltrate (Saturday's demonstration) to fight security forces and challenge the authority of the state," said Denis Jacob, Secretary General of the Alternative Police union.

"Given the high level of security around the Champs the fear is thugs will go to other places."

Today 24 people have been arrested amid concerns that violent far-right and far-left groups were infiltrating the "yellow vests" movement.

(Image: GETTY)

(Image: AFP)

For more than two weeks, the yellow vests have blocked roads in protests across France, posing one of the biggest challenges Emmanuel Macron has faced in his 18 months as president.

Several hundred yellow vests converged under the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees and sat down to sing La Marseillaise, France's national anthem, chanting, "Macron Resign!"

A week ago thousands of protesters, who have no leader and have largely organised themselves online, converged on Paris for the first time, turning the Champs Elysees into a battle zone as they clashed with police firing tear gas and water canon.

Officials said they expected some 5,000 police and gendarmes in Paris, up from about 3,000 last Saturday. Another 5,000 will be deployed across France for other yellow vests protests.

(Image: REUTERS)

Workmen erected metal barriers and plywood boards on the glass-fronted facades of restaurants and boutiques lining Paris's most famous boulevard. The Champs Elysees will be closed to traffic and pedestrians funnelled through checkpoints.

"There's a lot of incitement on social media and we are expecting excess and violence," David Michaux of the UNSA Police union told Reuters, adding that far-right and far-left groups were expected.

Three formal demonstrations were planned across Paris on Saturday, including the "yellow vests", a union protest against unemployment and a separate rally against racism.

(Image: GETTY) (Image: REUTERS)

For now, the "yellow vests" – who take their name from the high-visibility jackets all motorists in France must carry in their vehicles – enjoy widespread public support.

When they began, the protests caught Macron off-guard just as he was trying to counter a plunge in popularity, with his approval at barely 30%.

His unyielding response has exposed him to charges of being out of touch with ordinary people.