Yellow vest protesters take to streets of Paris for 15th consecutive week

French yellow vest protestors took to the streets of Paris for the 15th consecutive week on Saturday, with hundreds gathering to march through well-off neighbourhoods.

The gilets jaunes protestors gathered at the Arc de Triomphe for a march to protest government policies they see as favouring the rich.

It came as organisers tried to quell violence and anti-Semitism in the movement's ranks, with extremist views erupting in a torrent of anti-Semitic insults at a noted philosopher on the sidelines of last weekend's Paris protest.

Support for the movement has ebbed in recent weeks as it has splintered and outbreaks of violence continue. Online announcements for Saturday's marches appealed for peaceful action.

The marches originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but transformed into broad protest at President Emmanuel Macron's government.

The protests came as Mr Macron made a speech at the International Agriculture Fair in Paris.

He pledged to protect European farming standards and culinary traditions threatened by aggressive foreign trade practices that see food as a "product like any other."

The speech was aimed at calming French farmers' anger at government policies seen as favouring urban elites and neglecting the heartland cherished for producing famed cheeses and wines.

Macron proposed using blockchain technology to trace the source of food and putting Europe in the "avant-garde of agricultural technology."

The yearly event has long been a key opportunity for presidents to test their popularity.

Macron, whose approval ratings have bounced back in recent weeks, was booed at last year's farm fair over plans to ban a popular pesticide and trade deals.