Violence erupts during French May Day protests

Nearly 300 protesters have been arrested and dozens of police officers were injured after riots broke out during France’s May 1 protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

At least 108 police officers were injured, 25 in the capital, and 291 people arrested across France as violence erupted in several cities on the sidelines of major union-led marches, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters on Monday.

Darmanin added that such a high number of police injuries was “extremely rare” for a May 1 protest day. He said a police officer hit by a Molotov cocktail suffered burns to the face and hands, but his life was not in danger.

Protesters clashed with security forces across France on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for Labor Day to vent their anger against President Macron, who last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 despite months of strikes .

Unions had hoped for a large turnout across the country to further upset Macron, who was greeted with weed bashing and jeers as he toured the country defending the reforms and relaunching his second term in office.

Video footage from several cities shows massive damage to property. In the capital and other major cities, the police used drones for the first time to monitor the situation.

About 782,000 people take part in protests

Some 782,000 people protested across France, including 112,000 in Paris alone, the interior ministry said. The CGT union said it counted 2.3 million protesters across France, including 550,000 in the capital.

The turnout was hugely higher than on May 1 last year, but smaller than this year’s biggest anti-pension reform protests.

In Paris, radical protesters threw projectiles at police and broke windows of businesses such as banks and brokers, with security forces responding with tear gas and water cannons, AFP correspondents said.

Darmanin condemned protesters he described as far left, known as “black blocs”, saying there were about 2,000 in Paris and another 1,000 in Lyon. He insisted that “those who attacked police and public property should be severely punished”.

Security forces deployed tear gas in Toulouse in southern France as tensions erupted during demonstrations, while four cars were set on fire in the southeastern city of Lyon.

In the western city of Nantes, police also fired tear gas after protesters threw projectiles, AFP correspondents said. The windows of a Uniqlo clothing store were smashed.

Protesters briefly occupied the luxury InterContinental hotel in the southern city of Marseille, smashing flower pots and damaging furniture.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the violence and said it was unacceptable. She expressed her support for law enforcement officials.

Macron and his government have been trying to get past months of popular discontent, hoping to relaunch his second term in office after the reform was signed into law.

“The page will not turn as long as this pension reform is not withdrawn. The determination to win is intact,” CGT chief Sophie Binet said at the Paris protest.

“The mobilization is still very, very strong,” added Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union.

“It’s a sign that resentment and anger aren’t abating.”

Monday marked the first time since 2009 that all eight of France’s main trade unions have jointly called for protests.

France has been rocked by a dozen days of nationwide strikes and protests against Macron and his pension changes since mid-January, some of which have turned violent.

When Macron attended the French Cup final on Saturday, he was met by activists waving red cards.

Nearly three in four French people were dissatisfied with Macron, a survey by the IFOP polling group showed last month.

On the Place de la Republique, where the Paris march started, a huge vest with the slogan “Macron resigned” was attached to the giant statue symbolizing the French republic in the center.

“The law has been passed but not accepted. There is a desire to express dissatisfaction peacefully in order to get a response that shows some degree of decency,” said Celine Bertoni, 37, an academic in the central city Clermont. Ferrand.