PARIS – The yellow vest protests, which have brought particular chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, abated Saturday, though one small gathering around the presidential palace did lead to police firing tear gas and using batons. The number of protesters demonstrating on Paris' Champs Elysees, was down sharply on recent weeks as an appeal for a sixth straight Saturday of protests against the high cost of living and growing economic inequalities in France failed to make much of an imprint at the start of the Christmas and New Year holiday period. According to Paris police, only 800 protesters had taken to the Paris streets, compared to 4,000 a week before and 10,000 the previous week.