Horrifying footage emerges of mother and baby trapped in building set on fire by yellow vest protesters in Paris

• Mother and baby trapped in burning building as Paris hit by yellow vest protests  
• Demonstrators targeted the Banque Tarneaud underneath the woman’s home
• Bystanders tried to save her as flames engulfed building near Champs-Elysées
• Building was targeted during the latest anti-government riot to have hit capital

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A mother and baby were trapped on the second floor of a burning building set alight by ‘yellow vest’ protesters in the middle of Paris.

Protesters – known as the gilets jaunes – targeted the banking agency Banque Tarneaud, which was directly beneath the trapped woman’s home, according to local sources.

A shocking video showing her screaming for help as the flames licked up the building near the Champs-Elysées in Paris on Saturday emerged yesterday.

Panicked bystanders could be seen pleading with the petrified woman to escape the second floor apartment with her nine-month-old baby.

Armed police and fire fighters desperately tried to rescue her.

The mother-of-four is understood to have been saved and taken to safety by the emergency services.

Anti-government protesters targeted the banking agency Banque Tarneaud, which was directly beneath the trapped woman’s home

The mother-of-four could be seen screaming for help from the second floor apartment in Paris near the Champs-Elysées

The building was targeted during the latest anti-government riot to have hit Paris.

Angered by tax rises, riotous protesters known as ‘yellow vests’ have clashed with police and vandalised buildings across Paris for months.

Armed police have had running battles with the yellow vests, who first began violent demonstrations four months ago.

The video, which shows a scene of total destruction, was filmed by a journalist at Paris’ Line Press network.

French soldiers will be deployed on Saturday to help guard public buildings, allowing police to focus on dealing with ‘yellow vest’ demonstrators in case of renewed violence in Paris and other cities, the government said yesterday.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the military will secure government buildings and other sites to allow police forces to focus on maintaining public order.  

About 7,000 soldiers, most armed with automatic weapons, are already deployed across the country in what the military calls Operation Sentinel, which was created to protect sensitive sites following deadly attacks in 2015.

In a shocking video panicked bystanders could be seen pleading with the petrified woman to escape with her nine-month-old baby

Armed police and fire fighters desperately tried to rescue the trapped woman who was believed to have been saved by the emergency services 

Armed police have had running battles with the yellow vests in Paris, who first began violent demonstrations four months ago

The French government announced on Monday new security measures and a ban on yellow vest protests along the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris and in two other cities following riots on Saturday that left luxury stores ransacked and charred from arson fires.

It was announced separately that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had decided to put off a planned overseas trip to French Guiana at the weekend to be on hand at home.

‘Given the special situation concerning public order, the premier decided to postpone his visit,’ his office said.

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Last Saturday, more than 5,000 police officers failed to stop hundreds of violent protesters from rampaging along the Champs-Elysees, burning and looting over 100 businesses in disturbances that lasted more than seven hours.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier that the troops will be redeployed from the ‘Sentinelle’ anti-terror operation, which patrols streets and protects airports, train stations, places of worship and other sites.

Soldiers will be deployed in French cities on Saturday to help guard public buildings after yellow vest protesters clashed with police again at the weekend 

Unionists holding a poster reading ‘Blanquer Killed Me’ referring to French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer demonstrate as part of a national day of strikes in Paris

Around 7,000 soldiers, most armed with automatic weapons, were already deployed across the country to combat the second wave of resurgent protests 

This will allow police forces to ‘concentrate on crowd control, along with maintaining law and order,’ he said.

After Saturday’s rioting, the government sacked Paris police chief Michel Delpuech.

Two other top police officials, including one of Delpuech’s aides, will also be removed from their positions, government sources told AFP.

The deployment of troops is intended to allow riot police to engage more aggressively with the far-left and far-right groups as well as anarchists who have been blamed for much of the violence.

But some police unions have warned that maintaining law and order was not the role of a soldier.

‘I’m worried about how they’ll respond in case of attack,’ said Philippe Capon of the Unsa-Police union.

Troops were originally deployed on the streets in January 2015 after the jihadist massacre at the Charlie Hebdo magazine, and their patrols have become a regular sight in Paris and other cities.

The government has also announced plans to outlaw protests along the famed Champs-Elysees and other key areas if hooligans once again infiltrate the ‘yellow vest’ demonstrations, which have taken place every Saturday since mid-November.

Unionists demonstrate as part of a national day of strikes in Paris on Tuesday

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