A vicious street brawl between rival “yellow vest” factions has highlighted bitter divisions among the anti-government protesters as the speaker of the National Assembly warned of a culture of violence engulfing French politics.

Dozens of far Right supporters and ultra-Leftists taking part in yellow vest protests fought with fists, rocks and sticks in the eastern city of Lyon on Saturday night.

The violence was seen as further evidence of widening splits in the leaderless grassroots movement. It began in protest at fuel prices but has since widened into a more general revolt against a political class seen as out of touch with common people. The protesters are united only in their opposition to President Emmanuel Macron and often make radically different demands.

Clashes with police erupted across France, with protesters torching cars and smashing the windows of shops and banks on the 13th consecutive weekend of yellow vest demonstrations.