During a protest in Paris: an egg was thrown on the head of French President Emmanuel Macron (social networks)
At least 291 people were arrested this evening (Monday) in several protest centers that took place across France, in honor of May 1 - Workers' Day.
As part of the unusual clashes, 108 local police officers were injured, one of them was seriously injured and taken to the hospital after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at him by one of the protesters in Paris.
The marches were organized by the local labor unions, and soon marches to mark Workers' Day turned into protests against the French government and President Emmanuel Macron.
In Paris, where the marches began peacefully, the situation quickly escalated after clashes broke out between some protesters and police force in the 11th arrondissement area of the city.
In the meantime, the police fired tear gas at the rioters who started shooting fireworks at the police and throwing Molotov cocktails and cans at them.
Not only that, some of the protesters in the country were recorded burning bus stops, vandalizing public property and looting stores.
The French Minister of the Interior Gérald Dramanin commented on the events and emphasized that most of the demonstrations in the country were "peaceful", although according to him, in the capital Paris and the cities of Lyon and Nantes, "the police are dealing with violent thugs who came with one goal, to kill police officers and damage other people's property".
The minister also added that the number of police officers who were injured is "exceptionally" high and that "this violence must be condemned without reservation".
112 thousand protesters in Paris, 782 thousand throughout France
Also in the city of Lyon, several cars were set on fire and windows of several businesses were smashed.
In the city of Nantes in western France, the protesters collected trash cans and set them on fire, shop windows were smashed and in response - the police fired tear gas.
In the city of Marseille, a group of more than a hundred briefly took over a luxury hotel near the old port, before being pushed out by a police force.
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