French riot police have used water cannons and tear gas on violent protesters during a May Day riot in Paris that has been described as the “worst violence since 1968”.
Hooded and masked protesters smashed shop windows and threw petrol bombs following a planned peaceful May Day march organised by labour unions.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Paris police had earlier warned of possible clashes with “far-left anarchist groups, known as Black Blocs”, The Guardian says, following a call on social media to make Tuesday a “Revolutionary Day”.
Protesters reportedly smashed the windows of a McDonald’s restaurant before setting it on fire, and sprayed anti-fascist graffiti on a number of walls throughout the area.
The Times says that on one street, “anti-capitalists vandalised a Mercedes dealership and destroyed three of its cars while other makes of vehicle were left alone”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently visiting Australia, condemned the protesters on Twitter.
“Everything will be done so that the perpetrators are identified and held responsible for their actions,” he said.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux criticised the protesters for covering their faces, saying: “When you have sincere convictions, you demonstrate with your face unmasked.”
Macron is currently “locked in a battle with the trade unions over his plans to liberalise labour regulations”, the ABC says.
French railway staff have begun three months of rolling strikes over the government’s plans to overhaul the state-run SNCF railway.
The violence came on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the 1968 Paris protests and general strikes that paralysed France for more than a month.
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
The Louvre’s security measures are in hot water after a major heistIn the Spotlight Millions of dollars in jewels were stolen from the museum
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
The WW2 massacre dividing Senegal and FranceUnder the Radar A new investigation found the 1944 Thiaroye attack on ‘unarmed’ African soldiers was ‘premeditated’, and far deadlier than previously recorded
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignationSpeed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
