GENEVA

Previously unseen surveillance footage has shed new light on police violence against Yellow Vests protesters during a 2018 demonstration in Paris.

France TV reported Friday, days before the trial of nine riot police officers, that the video shows protesters and a journalist being struck with batons by officers from France’s CRS riot police inside a Burger King on the third day of nationwide Yellow Vests protests.

The footage dates to Dec. 1, 2018, when tear gas saturated Place Charles-de-Gaulle, prompting dozens of demonstrators to seek shelter inside the fast-food restaurant.

"Each time I watch the videos again where the police hit me, I break down in tears," Manon, one of the protesters, told the broadcaster.

She said she was overwhelmed by tear gas before entering the restaurant with her partner. "We were drowning in the smoke, it was impossible to breathe, until we heard this voice: 'Come take refuge here.'"

Minutes later, CRS officers entered to clear the premises. Several protesters, some never identified, as well as a journalist, were struck with batons in front of the restaurant’s cameras.

Seven years later, Manon is preparing to attend the trial of nine officers, who face up to seven years in prison.

Another protester, Olivier, said he was hit 27 times. "Without video, there would not have been a trial. I think it is the element that gives my word weight," he said.

A third demonstrator, Paul, said that despite the footage, "the accusations are still shifted onto the victims," calling for the case to be treated as a broader social issue rather than an isolated incident.