Arrests In Paris As Thousands Join May Day Protests

Demonstrators clashed with police in Paris on Saturday as thousands of people joined traditional May Day protests across France to demand social and economic justice.

Over34 arrests were made by Police in the Capital where garbage bins were set on fire and the windows of a bank branch were smashed, momentarily delaying the march.

Marchers, most wearing masks in line with coronavirus rules, were also voicing their opposition to government plans to change unemployment benefits.

Trade unionists were joined by members of the “Yellow Vest” movement, which triggered a wave of anti-government protests three years ago, and by workers from sectors hit hard by pandemic restrictions.

The Prefecture de Police, which deployed 5,000 officers in Paris, said it had prevented ‘Black Bloc’ anarchists from forming a group.

About 300 rallies were organised in cities including Lyon, Nantes, Lille and Toulouse.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who both plan to challenge President Emmanuel Macron in next year’s presidential election, attended May Day events.

Le Pen, who had earlier laid a wreath in Paris at the statue of Joan of Arc, her party’s nationalist symbol, warned of “total chaos” if Macron is re-elected.

President Macron, has seen his reform agenda become bogged down in fights with unions, while the pandemic has halted his planned pension system overhaul.