ANKARA

French riot police brutally attacked at least two "journalists" covering Yellow Vest protests in the southern city of Toulouse, video footage has shown.

Sharing the video on his Twitter account, French journalist Nicolas Gregoire for Medium.com said: "In Toulouse, the police seize and destroy a camera. Then hit the journalists who defend their equipment. Since the beginning of the violence, not a single policeman has been suspended or sentenced."

Yellow Vest protests began in capital Paris five months ago as a reaction to rising fuel costs. However, the demonstrations later spiraled into anti-government riots.

The protests have left 11 people dead and more than 2,000 injured, according to the French government.

Some 8,400 people have been arrested for the protests and 2,000 got prison sentences.

French police have deployed semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest protestors for the first time in January.

The presence of semi-automatic rifles at a peaceful demonstration by unarmed French citizens was interpreted as President Emmanuel Macron's understanding of law and order.

Earlier, former conservative minister Luc Ferry called for live fire to be used against the Yellow Vest protesters, whom he called 'thugs'.