May Day | 109 in custody in Paris over demonstrations violence

A total of 109 people were in custody yesterday after May Day protests against reforms by French President Emmanuel Macron turned violent in the French capital, Paris police said.

Heated demonstrations on Tuesday saw six cars torched, a McDonald’s restaurant smashed up and vandalism at automobile shops.

Those in custody yesterday are suspected of offenses that include carrying prohibited weapons and firing projectiles.

Though several people were injured — including a police service worker — and even hospitalized, France’s Interior Minister said yesterday on France 2 Television he was pleased “no one was seriously injured.”

Opposition figures seized upon Macron’s absence — on a visit to Australia — to paint an image of disorder in a country without a leader amid criticism that police did not act quickly enough to pacify the violence.

Macron responded from Sydney: “There is a government. There is a state that’s being run and it will continue to react.”

Paris Police Prefect Michel Delpuech said that the violence was carried out by masked attackers from a libertarian group called the Black Blocs that numbered around 1,200 people in total and were on the margins of the 20,000-strong protest.

He added that “the desire of the radical activists was to spiral the day out of control.”