According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in France, International Workers' Day on May 1st, a day to demonstrate the strength of the working class and laborers in France, was quickly disrupted by violence in many major cities due to a wave of protests against the government 's pension reforms. At least 291 extremists were arrested, and 108 police officers were injured, including one officer who suffered severe burns.
People staged a large-scale protest against the government's pension reform bill in Paris, France, on April 13, 2023. Photo: THX/VNA
According to the Interior Ministry , over 782,000 people marched, including 112,000 in Paris. Meanwhile, the CGT (Central Trade Union Federation) announced that 2.3 million people participated in demonstrations across France on May 1st, commemorating International Workers' Day.
However, this was also the 13th day of protests organized by unions against the government's pension reforms, so the peaceful marches quickly turned violent as tensions flared up in central areas.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, marching crowds quickly clashed with police. Nantes was one of the hotspots with 17,500 protesters. Extremists immediately sought to engage in combat with police, setting fire to several luxury vehicles on public streets.
Outside the city hall and the Loire-Atlantique Provincial Council headquarters, countless stones were thrown at the buildings and at the police, forcing them to use tear gas, stun grenades, and softballs. Protesters used umbrellas to avoid retaliation from the police.
In Paris, 5,000 police and gendarmes were mobilized. Even heavy tear gas was not enough to stop the wave of radical protesters, who were ready to throw stones at security forces and windows, vandalize and burn public property. The Paris administrative court even authorized the use of drones to monitor the protests in the capital.
According to a late-day announcement on May 1st from the Interior Ministry, more than 300 acts of violence took place across France, particularly in Paris, Nantes, and Angers. A total of 291 arrests were made, including 90 in Paris.
More than 2,000 extremist individuals were also identified. "108 police and gendarme officers were injured in France and one police officer suffered severe burns from being hit with a Molotov cocktail," Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne stated that the violence on the sidelines of the May 1st protest was "unacceptable."
Also on May 1st, air traffic was severely disrupted: a quarter of flights were cancelled at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport and a third at Orly, according to the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC). Similar disruptions occurred at many other airports across France, including Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Toulouse, while 25% of flights were cancelled at Nice and Beauvais. Fortunately, there were no disruptions to the French rail system.
In 2022, the number of people participating in the May Day protests was only one-seventh of this year's, equivalent to 116,000 people, including 24,000 in Paris, and the violence was not as serious as this year.
Source: VNA
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