French May Day protests: At least 108 police officers injured, 291 arrested; PM slams 'unacceptable' violence

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in FranceonLabour Day toprotest andvent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, and clashed with security forces across the country,on Monday (May 1). The French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters that at least 108 police were wounded and 291 people detained across France as violence erupted at May Day protests.

What happened at these protests?

The French interior ministry had earlier said that at least 782,000 people protested across France on Monday for May Day out of which some 112,000 protesters were in Paris alone. Meanwhile, the CGT union said it counted 2.3 million protesters across France, including 550,000 in the capital, reported news agency AFP.

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According to media reports, protesters clashed with security personnel which has since left over 100 police officers injured and nearly 300 people were arrested across France after violence erupted in several cities.

Protesters in the capital city of Paris were seen throwing projectiles at police and breaking windows of businesses such as banks and estate agents while security forces responded by deploying tear gas and water cannons, reported AFP.

Meanwhile, Paris protesters also torched a bicycle docking station where flames burned from the street and black smoke billowed into the sky while police were seen pushing back on the crowd of onlookers, as per reports from Reuters.

According to the interior minister, one officer was badly injured when he was struck by a fiery projectile, as demonstrators pelted police with Molotov cocktails and fireworks. This came after police sought to disperse the protest at its end point which prompted the fire service to intervene.

In southern France’s Toulouse tensions erupted during demonstrations after whichsecurity forces deployed tear gas to disperse the protesters. Meanwhile, four cars were set on fire in the southeastern city of Lyon, reported AFP.

Furthermore, in the southern city of Marseille protesters briefly occupied the luxury InterContinental hotel where they reportedly broke a few flowerpots and damaged furniture.

French PM slams protests

France has been rocked by nationwide protests against president Macron who last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill.

“In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilisation and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable,” French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne wrote on Twitter.

Similarly, the interior minister also said that such a high toll of police wounded was “extremely rare” for a May 1 protest day, as the turnout was significantly higher than May Day last year but quite lower than some of the biggest protests seen against the pension reform this year.

(With inputs from agencies)

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