- Police have arrested 45 in Paris, the minister said
- Protesters condemn Macron’s pension plan
- Most other May Day processions are peaceful
Paris, May 1 (Reuters) – Police use tear gas to repel black anarchists who searched a business premises in Paris on Sunday during the May Day protests against the policy of the newly elected President Emmanuel Macron.
Thousands joined the May Day march in France, calling for a pay rise and for Macron to abandon his plan to raise the retirement age.
Most were peaceful, but violence erupted in the capital, with police arresting 45 people, including a woman who attacked a firefighter trying to put out the blaze, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told a news conference. Eight police officers were injured, Darmanin said.
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Clashes with police broke out at the beginning of the march near Place La Republique and when it reached Place de la Nation in eastern Paris.
Black Bloc anarchists searched a McDonald’s restaurant in Leon Bloom Square and smashed several real estate agencies, smashing their windows and setting fire to trash cans.
Police responded with tear gas.
About 250 rallies were organized in Paris and other cities, including Lille, Nantes, Toulouse and Marseilles.
In the capital, trade unionists were joined by political figures – mostly from the left – and climate activists. In total, more than 20,000 people took part, compared to 17,000 last year, the interior minister said.
The cost of living was the main theme of the presidential election campaign and appears to be just as important ahead of the legislative elections in June, which Macron’s party and its allies must win in order to pursue its pro-business policies, including increasing retirement age up to 65 for 62
“It is important to show Macron and the whole political world that we are ready to defend our social rights,” said Joshua Antunes, a 19-year-old student. He also accused the president of “inaction” on environmental issues.
French riot police attack CRS during clashes as part of traditional May Day trade union march in Paris, France, May 1, 2022. REUTERS / Sarah Meyssonnier
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The demonstrators carried banners reading “Retirement before arthritis”, “Retirement at 60, price freeze” and “Macron, get out”
“The government needs to address the issue of purchasing power by raising wages,” Philippe Martinez, head of the hardline CGT union, told Reuters ahead of the rallies. Read more
Macron won a new five-year presidential term after defeating far-right contender Marin Le Pen in the run-off last Sunday.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who finished third in the first round of the presidential election, attended a march in Paris.
He wants to unite an alliance of the left, including the Greens, to dominate parliament and force Macron into an awkward “coexistence”, but so far this has not happened. Read more
“We will not make any concessions on pensions,” Melenchon said before the march began.
He said he still hopes an agreement to build a new union of the left will be reached by Sunday night.
Unlike in previous years, Marine Le Pen did not lay a wreath in Paris at the statue of Jeanne or Arc, which her party uses as a nationalist symbol. She was replaced by interim president of the United National Union Jordan Bardella, who said Le Pen was preparing for the legislative elections.
In a video address, Le Pen called on voters to elect as many MPs as possible from her party in June so that it could “protect your purchasing power” and prevent Macron from carrying out a “harmful project for France and the French people”.
Parliamentary elections will be held on June 12th and 19th.
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Report by Dominic Vidalon, additional reports by Jonathan Van der Worth, Noemi Olive, Sarah Masonie, Caroline Pailies; Edited by Angus McSwon and Andrew Havens
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