Violent protests in France. Dozens of people arrested in Paris. Shops broken, law enforcement intervenes with tear gas

Violent protests in several cities in France. Dozens of people were arrested on Wednesday during May 1 demonstrations in Paris and Lyon, after several groups of anarchists tried to hijack the peaceful march attended by thousands of union members. Also, in the city of Nantes, some protesters broke windows and shops, and the police intervened with tear gas. About 12,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across the country, including 5,000 in Paris.

France’s two main unions held May Day rallies in several cities, including Paris, under slogans promoting peace and against austerity, but also calling for a “more protective Europe with workers”. The events take place in the context of the European elections in June. In total, 165 rallies are taking place throughout the country, RFI reports.

However, pro-Palestinians and critics of the Olympic Games also participate in the protests, as well as farmers dissatisfied with environmental regulations. According to a police source, among the 4,500 demonstrators in Paris there are also several hundred radicals, notes AFP.

People arrested in Paris and Lyon

In Lyon, 22 people were arrested and two police officers were injured after hooded men attacked a bank. Similar violence took place in the western city of Nantes.

In Paris, 25 people were arrested before the parade started. Authorities wrote on Platform X that they seized weapons, including a knife and brass daggers.

A police source told FranceInfo that authorities were prepared for the demonstrators. About 12,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across the country, including 5,000 in Paris.

Meanwhile, MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, president of the left-wing Place Publique movement in the European Parliament, was forced to leave a demonstration in the city of Saint-Etienne after he was chased by young protesters who threw painted eggs at him .

Glucksmann said he was targeted by “small, violent groups” in an attack that was the result of “months of hate and slander” skillfully orchestrated by the hard left.

Violence and destruction in Nantes

Thousands of people took to the streets in Nantes as well. Several protesters dressed in black and wearing caps smashed shop windows, a bank, a Carrefour supermarket and a clothing store.

Law enforcement responded with tear gas, AFP notes.

Protests with Palestinian flags in Marseille and Nice

The first large-scale demonstrations started in Marseille, Nice, Strasbourg and Clermont-Ferrand.

In Marseille, demonstrators waved numerous Palestinian flags, according to images broadcast by BFMTV.

Palestinian flags were also waved in Nice, according to France Bleu.

Fewer protesters than in 2023

At the national level, “15,000 to 120,000” demonstrators are expected, according to a note from the territorial intelligence services, consulted by AFP.

It is about a much smaller influx than in 2023, when almost 800,000 demonstrators – according to the authorities – and 2.3 million demonstrators – according to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) took part in this mobilization.

It is about a number eight to ten times higher than in 2022, when the police counted 116,000 demonstrators, and the CGT 210,000.

In Paris, between 15,000 and 30,000 people are expected by the authorities, including 400 to 800 radical demonstrators.

Pro-Palestinian activists could swell the ranks of the demonstrators, especially in Paris, but also “critics” of the Olympic Games could take advantage of this “tribune”, according to French espionage.

Authorities are expecting demonstrations “of a more festive character” and “more peaceful” than last year, when Labor Day was marked by violent clashes in the capital and in other cities such as Nantes and Lyon.

Publisher: CLB