Hundreds fined and dozens arrested as convoy enters Paris

Police have intercepted hundreds of vehicles trying to enter Paris as part of a protest against France's coronavirus regulations.

Tear gas was fired in the city as demonstrators defied an order banning the "Freedom Convoy".

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said more than 300 tickets had been handed out and 54 people arrested.

Authorities have deployed more than 7,000 officers over the next three days in a bid to stop the demonstrators.

Despite those efforts, some vehicles managed to arrive at the Arc de Triomphe in the city, and tear gas was fired at demonstrators on the nearby Champs-Élysées avenue.

The groups were inspired by the self-styled Canadian "Freedom Convoy" which has disrupted trade on the US border and occupied streets in Ottawa. Similar demonstrations have started to spread around the world.