Thousands of French people have been demonstrating for weeks against the controversial pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron. However, around May 1, these degenerated into regular street fights. Even the emergency services would have been targeted.
During the riots at several rallies on May 1, 540 people were arrested nationwide. 305 of the arrests took place in Paris, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told BFMTV on Tuesday.
406 police officers were injured in the operations, 259 of them in Paris – one police officer suffered severe burns after throwing a Molotov cocktail.
Cars on fire, windows smashed
Police used tear gas to bring the situation back under control. Demonstrators previously set fire to cars and garbage cans and smashed the windows of banks and shops. Video footage from several cities showed massive damage to property. In the capital and other major cities, the police used drones for the first time to monitor the situation.
The evaluation of camera images will attempt to identify those responsible for throwing a Molotov cocktail at an officer, who suffered serious burns as a result. The clashes also injured 61 demonstrators, 31 of them in Paris.
Mass protests against later retirement
The rallies on May 1 were used by trade unions in France for renewed mass protests against Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform. About two weeks ago, the president officially raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Authorities spoke of 782,000 participants across the country at about 300 rallies. According to union figures, there were 2.3 million people. There were riots in Paris, Lyon and Nantes, among others.
Source: Krone
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