Elderly woman is knocked over in Nice during a yellow vest protest

A Yellow Vest protester waving a rainbow flag was knocked to the ground during a stampede in Nice today, as armed police put Paris' famous Champs-Elysees avenue into lockdown.



Shocking photos from the 19th week of anti-Macron violence across France show a group of protesters running from a police cordon outside of a restaurant.



A silver-haired protester is knocked to the ground in the rush to get away from police in riot gear.



Thousands of police fanned out across central Paris and other French cities today, with the government vowing to prevent a repeat of the rioting and looting seen in the capital last week.



Dozens of police vehicles, including armoured trucks and water cannons, encircled the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the iconic avenue, with officers searching people's bags and patrolling in front of boarded-up storefronts.



Authorities have banned demonstrations in a large area in the west of the city, which was the scene of last week's rampage by hundreds of black-clad agitators.



At the opposite end of the avenue access was completely blocked to the Place de la Concorde, near the presidential palace and the National Assembly, and two drones were flying over the capital to help officers track any protesters' movements.