French police fire tear gas at Freedom Convoy protesters in Paris

Officers arrested two protesters after finding petrol bombs and knives

Tear gas is fired by French riot police on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Saturday in an effort to break up demonstrations against coronavirus regulations. Photo: AFP

Riot police fired tear gas at protesters on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Saturday, as people from across the country descended on the capital to oppose the government's coronavirus restrictions.

Protesters ran from clouds of white gas as drivers from the Freedom Convoy sounded their horns and some stood on their vehicles. The tear gas spread to cafes and restaurants, sending diners and waiters diving for cover.

One group of motorists circled the Arc de Triomphe, waving French national flags from their windows, in defiance of a police order not to enter the city.

Officers wearing helmets and protective gear, and armed with batons and shields faced protesters shouting "Freedom!" as they called for an end to France's coronavirus rules.

Earlier, vehicles were greeted by supporters as they arrived in the city, some having travelled hundreds of kilometres.

Police said they stopped 500 vehicles that were going into the city on Saturday morning, but videos posted on social media appeared to show that dozens had evaded the roadblocks.

Some convoys sought to avoid police detection by travelling on minor roads instead of the motorways leading into the capital.

One video showed crowds of supporters greeting the convoy in Place d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement, south of the city centre.

The man who made the video hailed the “wonderful” reception he and his fellow protesters were given in Paris, as horns sounded in the background. He claimed the drivers had travelled from Châteauroux, 270 kilometres south of Paris.

Police set up roadblocks to intercept vehicles at entry points across Paris and had issued almost 300 tickets by mid-morning, according to a statement posted on Twitter.

The action was inspired by the Freedom Convoy demonstrations in Canada, which has brought the capital Ottawa to a standstill and blocked US-Canada crossing points.

With less than two months from a French presidential election, President Emmanuel Macron's government is eager to keep protests from becoming large-scale demonstrations like the anti-government yellow vest campaign of 2018.

A police motorcycle patrol stopped two camper vans and a lorry from the convoy that had made it as far as the Champs Elysees.

Separately, police also said they arrested two protesters in southern Paris who were in possession of petrol cans, hammers and knives.

Police mobilised thousands of officers, set up checkpoints and sent out armoured personnel carriers and water cannon in preparation for the protests.

The French protests are against rules requiring a vaccine pass to get into many public places and came after months of demonstrations against the pass in Paris and other cities.

The yellow vest movement, which began as a protest against fuel taxes, grew into a broader revolt that resulted in some of the worst street violence in decades and tested Mr Macron's authority.

Police allowed two street marches by anti-vaccine and yellow vest demonstrators to go ahead in Paris on Saturday afternoon.