French police have clashed with protesters during the annual May Day rally in Paris, organized by unions but joined by other groups. More than 7,400 officers were deployed onto the streets of the capital.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Z. Abdelkafi
Advertisement
Parisian police fired tear gas and made arrests as protesters threw stones and set fires on the fringes of Wednesday's May Day rally.
Yellow vest (gilet jaune) protesters joined the ranks of the traditional march, organized by trade unions in Paris and other French cities on Wednesday.
There were clashes in the Montparnasse district where hundreds of anti-capitalist "black bloc" activists pushed to the front of the crowd. Bottles and other projectiles were reported to have been hurled at police with a parked police van set alight in the street.
The demonstration came days after the anti-government movement rejected a package of tax cuts by French President Emmanuel Macron. The president's policies are widely seen as favoring big business while reducing quality of living for ordinary people.
At least 330 people had been arrested by the evening, according to police.
Environmentalists joined unionists and yellow vest protesters in Bordeaux 'State of Emergency: Climate'Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Across France, at least 164,500 people took part in the demonstrations organized by trade unions, with 28,000 of them in Paris, BFMTV reported, citing the authorities. Other estimates suggested 40,000 demonstrated in the capital.
Main march peaceful
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had warned that up to 2,000 "radical activists" might try to hijack the Paris event and team up with "radicalized" protesters from within the yellow vest movement.
Yellow vests: Unrest returns to the streets of Paris
Violence has returned to the streets of France, with yellow vest protesters seeking to breathe fresh life into their movement. While some demonstrators rallied peacefully, others clashed with police and looted stores.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
A changing movement
The movement takes its name from the high visibility vests French drivers have to keep in their cars. It was initially a protest against President Emmanuel Macron's fuel tax, but eventually swelled to a tide of more general resentment against his government. Although numbers have dwindled, they were higher again on Saturday than in previous weeks.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Mostly peaceful protest
Protesters gathered close to a well-guarded Arc de Triomphe, with organizers keen to discourage violence. Sporadic violence did break out, with French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner calling it the work of "professional troublemakers."
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/J. Mattia
Thick in the air
In recent weeks, the protests have been relatively calm, but things turned ugly again this time around. Some yellow vests threw smoke bombs and cobblestones at officers, who replied by deploying clouds of tear gas.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/C. Ena
Looted shops
Businesses were attacked along the Champs-Elysees, home of numerous luxury brand stores and high-end eateries. Police made arrests as demonstrators looted shops and ransacked the exclusive Fouquet's restaurant. More modest commercial premises also suffered, including a newsstand which was set alight.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Jocard
Burning the barricades
Protesters erected and set alight barricades on the Champs-Elysees on the 18th consecutive weekend of protests. Saturday's scenes were reminiscent of some of the worst yellow vest rallies in December, when stores were looted and vandalized in images that shocked many observers.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Ena
President of the rich?
Demonstrators have accused Macron, a former investment banker and finance minister, of looking after the interests of the wealthy while neglecting ordinary French workers. Critics have also hit out at the president's style of government, accusing him of being too aloof and affecting a regal air — a perception that has earned him the nickname "Sun King."
One local restaurant owner told the AFP news agency that, while he feared the more militant so-called black bloc activists, there were no such concerns about the trade unions who had always marched on May Day.
Authorities were said to have been caught off guard by violence surrounding the May Day rally last year, with some 1,200 masked protesters clashing with riot police. However, civil unrest and criminal damage have also become a regular feature of the yellow vest protests over recent months.
