Violence broke out at the traditional May Day rally in Paris as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in France to put pressure on recently reelected President Emmanuel Macron to do more to help the working class.
The demonstration on Sunday in Paris was marred by clashes between protesters, many wearing black clothing, and the police, according to local press reports. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the violence “unacceptable.”
French unions have been targeting this year’s traditional workers’ day demonstrations as a rallying point for those who want to show Macron that his election victory doesn’t give him a blank check. Macron was reelected to a second five-year term last week after defeating far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. Macron beat Le Pen by almost 20 percentage points, though that was a far narrower margin than in their first contest in 2017.
Sunday’s protest was also the occasion for the country’s left-wing parties to try to present a united ahead at the event to defend workers rights. The parties have been in talks to cooperate in June parliamentary elections in a bid to limit Macron’s power in the legislature.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the far-left leader who placed third in the presidential voting, said at the protest in Paris that the left-wing parties were “a few millimeters away” from an electoral agreement.
