Thousands marched at May Day protests across France on Wednesday, making demands ranging from better salaries to a ceasefire in Gaza, with minor skirmishes in some cities. The CGT union said more than 200,000 people took to the streets across France on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry put the turnout across France at 121,000.
This year the demonstrations come after almost seven months of war in the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, with mediators pushing to get a truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. At May Day protests across the country – including in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon and Nantes – marchers sometimes held up Palestinian flags as well as their union banners.
The march in the capital set off early afternoon in a festive atmosphere, but law enforcement fired tear gas an hour later to deal with what a police source called a minority of "radical elements." A van was partially burnt and some protesters lobbed stones or fireworks at police.
Police said 45 were arrested in Paris and 12 police officers suffered light injuries. In the capital, police said 18,000 had marched, while the CGT union said the figure stood at 50,000. In Lyon, 22 were arrested police said.
Ahead of European Parliament elections on June 9, the moderate CFDT union had called for a day of protest to demand "a more ambitious Europe that better protects workers."
Turnout was much lower than last year when a large part of the country was up in arms over a deeply unpopular pensions reform that President Emmanuel Macron's government had forced through parliament without a vote. Last year, more than 800,000 took to the street across the country, according to the authorities. The CGT put turnout at 2.3 million