Yellow vest protests: Seventh person dies as violence erupts in France for fifth weekend in a row... as demonstrators clash with riot police in Paris

A seventh person has died during a wave of so-called "yellow vest" demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron's government in France, Belgian police said.

A man was killed after he crashed his car into a truck at a protesters' roadblock on the Franco-Belgian border, authorities said on Saturday.

The accident brings to seven the number of protest-related deaths since the demonstrations began sweeping France more than a month ago.

It comes as violence erupted in Paris today as thousands took to the streets of France for the fifth weekend in a row.

Riot police fired tear gas to disperse groups of protesters near the Champs-Elysees.

Some 85 people were detained and at least 46 were taken into custody following the clashes.

Jonathan Pfund, a press officer at Belgium's Federal Police, said the driver was killed after colliding with a truck that had been stalled at the roadblock.

Mr Pfund did not give a precise age for the man but said he was born in 1969, making him either 48 or 49.

In the French capital on Saturday, police said more than 80 people were detained on the fifth straight weekend of protests by the yellow vests movement, which is protesting the high cost of living.

Clashes broke out between protesters and police on the sidelines of demonstrations near the city's Champs-Elysees Avenue.

Groups of yellow vests were attempting to break through police lines.

There were stand offs at Opera, where some demonstrators had gathered to voice their grievances.

And French police unleashed repeated discharges of tear gas along Paris' premier shopping street, the Champs-Elysees, although the back-and-forth fell short of previous violence that had scarred the avenue with broken windows and looted stores.

About 8,000 police and 14 armoured vehicles were deployed in Paris for the demonstration, after similar protests in recent weekends turned violent.

Some shops in the city closed for the day following the recent violence.

Saturday's protest was far calmer in the morning, with riot police blocking off groups of protesters who attempted to disperse in side streets.

At least 21 people were detained in Paris before the protests began, police said.

Some protesters earlier voiced anger at being restricted to a few blocks by police.

"We're surrounded by CRS," said protester Lionel Toussaint, 53, who works in the heritage industry, referring to riot police. "I'm not armed. I only have Kleenex."

The "yellow vest" movement, which takes its name from the fluorescent safety vests French motorists must all have in their vehicles, emerged in mid-November as a protest against fuel tax increases.

It soon morphed into an expression of rage about the high cost of living in France and a sense that President Emanuel Macron's government is detached from the everyday struggles of workers.

Without any clear form or leadership, the movement has attracted a wide range of disgruntled people across the political spectrum, including some violent militants.