PARIS: Dozens of masked and hooded anarchists clashed with riot police in southern Paris on Wednesday, burning bins, smashing property and hurling projectiles, hijacking a May Day rally that was focused on protesting against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies.
Tens of thousands of labour union and “yellow vest” protesters were on the streets across France, days after Macron outlined a response to months of street protests including tax cuts worth around 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion).
In Paris, riot police used tear gas and water cannon, and charged sporadically at several points along the traditional International Workers’ Day rally to disperse groups of masked protesters who had immersed themselves in the crowd.
Some 7,400 police were deployed and they made 200 arrests. Several people were lightly wounded, police sources said.
The main march crossing the southern part of the capital was finally able to move amid relative calm after being prevented from setting off by the clashes, although it appeared that yellow vests and more radical elements rather than labour unions were dominating the march.
The hard-left CGT union denounced police violence and said its secretary-general had been tear-gassed. A Reuters photographer saw several masked protesters removing their outfits to merge into the crowd.
French police had warned on Tuesday that there could be clashes with far-left anarchist groups, known as Black Blocs, after calls on social media for radicals to hit the streets.
Authorities had said they expected some 2,000 Black Bloc protesters from France and across Europe to turn up on the sidelines of the rallies.
The yellow vest protests, named after motorists’ high-visibility jackets, began in November over fuel tax increases but have evolved into a sometimes violent revolt against politicians and a government seen as out of touch.
Macron issued a series of proposals last week in response to the protests, but many in the grassroots movement, which does not have a leadership structure, have said they do not go far enough and lack detail.
Thousands of people also demonstrated in cities from Marseille to Bordeaux and Lyon. The Interior Ministry said some 151,000 people had demonstrated across the country, including 16,000 in Paris. The CGT said there had been 80,000 protesters in the capital alone. — Reuters
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