YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Over 200 protesters were arrested in Paris after masked anarchists tried to start a riot in the city today as the police stopped them demonstrating before the UN climate change summit.

“Armenpress” reports about the mentioned above, citing Dailymail website.

All protests have been banned in the capital city following the terrorist attacks two weeks ago in which 130 people died. But around 500 people turned up in Place de la Republique anyway, and started throwing bottles and stones at CRS riot squads.

They responded with tear gas and baton charges, soon after 2pm, and an uneasy standoff followed. By late evening, the number of arrests had risen to 208, with 174 of those in custody placed under formal police investigation. 

“Our aim is to stop the trouble, and to make sure the crowds disperse,” said a CRS spokesman.

Earlier, a pair of shoes belonging to the Pope was among thousands left in the famous square, as a protest against the banning of a climate change march.

We can understand why the police are scared of further trouble, but we still think we should have been able to march,' said a protest organiser.

'There are huge numbers of people who think governments are not doing enough to limit damage to the environment, and that includes the Pope.'

Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles were among those due in arrive in Paris, along with US President Barack Obama, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

All will attend the start of the Paris conference tomorrow, which is tasked with reaching the first truly universal climate pact.

The goal is to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by curbing fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change.

It comes as scientists warn of a world that will be increasingly inhospitable to human life, with massive storms, drought, and rising sea levels that swamp vast areas of land becoming routine.

Major roads into Paris were closed today, as they will be on Monday too. Some 2,800 police and soldiers are guarding the hermetically sealed conference venue near Le Bourget airport, north of the French capital. Another 6,300 officers are deployed in the city itself, while armoured vehicles are also on the streets.

Photo by EPA