The scene was a vicious verbal interlude as thousands of protesters made their way through the Left Bank for the 14th weekend protest in a row by the yellow vest movement.
Several thousand protesters gathered again in Paris today to mark the three-month anniversary of the yellow vest movement's protests, which started in November with nationwide protests of fuel tax increases.
The movement has lost steam and participants amid weekly vandalism and violence.
Police fired tear gas to disperse yellow vest protesters in Paris and other cities. In Lyon, a police van was attacked with two officers inside, shattering the windows.
An online invitation to the main Paris march said, "Let's stay peaceful."
The verbal attack on Finkielkraut could risk further eroding the movement's initially strong public support.
The movement has become the top domestic challenge for President Emmanuel Macron, who is accused by demonstrators of favouring the haves over the have-nots.
Macron was quick to condemn the verbal attacks on Finkielkraut, with other government officials.
Finkielkraut once showed sympathy for the movement but criticised it in a recent interview with Le Figaro.
"I want one thing, I want to know who they are....What movement do they belong to? That interests me," Finkielkraut said on LCI.
"I'm neither a victim nor a hero," he said, noting he was not physically attacked.
Arrests will be made based on France's anti-racism law, said Laurent Nunez, the second-ranking official at the Interior Ministry. One suspect has been identified, Nunez said.
The insults came days after the government reported a huge jump in incidents of anti-Semitism last year, 541 registered incidents compared to 311 in 2017. Swastika graffiti was found on February 11 on street portraits of Simon Veil, a Holocaust survivor considered a French national treasure for her life's work.
The yellow vest movement, which began as protests against a fuel tax hike, has broadened to include a range of concerns about France's living standards and the economic stresses facing ordinary families.
It is now marked by growing divisions within its ranks. One yellow vest protester who has tried to put together a candidates list for the European Parliament election was heckled by detractors.
- AP