Paris, Feb 3 (IANS): Thousands of people took to streets of Paris to protest against police violence.

The main march began at 12 p.m. on Saturday and headed towards the Place de la République square, where the demonstration ended at about 5 p.m., reports Efe news

It was the 12th Saturday of protests as part of the Yellow Vest or the "gilets jaunes" movement that began on November 17, 2018, originally against fuel tax hikes but which has since spiralled into a wider expression of anti-government sentiment.

Protesters have taken to towns and cities across the country over the past three months as part of the ongoing protests.

French daily Le Parisien said similar protests also took place in Lyon, Montpellier, Rouen, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille on Saturday.

Some 5,000 members of the security forces were deployed in the capital of a total 80,000 nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry.

Saturday's protest came a day after France's top court, the Council of State, ruled that the police could continue to use rubber bullet launchers against protesters.

Since the marches began in November, several violent clashes have broken out, most notably on December 2 when the capital's iconic Arc de Triomphe and shops along the Champs-Élysees avenue were damaged.