Europe 1 with AFP 6:08 p.m., May 01, 2022

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin denounced the violence that marked the demonstrations on May 1 in Paris, on the occasion of Labor Day.

Tensions erupted after the procession left Place de la République.

Gérald Darmanin denounced on Sunday the "unacceptable violence" committed by "thugs" dressed in black and who came "to disrupt the May Day demonstrations, especially in Paris", with dozens of signs vandalized on the route, blocking the progress of the procession. union.

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"Thugs are coming to disrupt the May 1 demonstrations, particularly in Paris, by committing unacceptable violence. I follow this with attention," tweeted the Minister of the Interior, assuring his "full support for the police and gendarmes mobilized".

Gérald Darmanin said he would go to the Paris police headquarters at 6:30 p.m.

The first tensions took place only a few minutes after the departure of the procession from the Place de la République.

A very mobile group of demonstrators, wearing black clothes, gloves and masks, broke away from the main procession at rue Oberkampf to clash with the police.

Further on, at Place Léon Blum, a McDonald's restaurant was ransacked and its windows tagged with anti-capitalist slogans.

Several dozen bank and real estate agencies, insurance companies and an organic products store suffered the same fate along the way.

Street furniture was also damaged, and many trash cans were set on fire.

New clashes between this pre-procession and the police occurred on arrival at Place de la Nation, the final destination of the demonstration, with tear gas canisters responding to projectile jets.

The union procession was blocked at the end of Boulevard Voltaire by a CRS cordon.

The demonstration started shortly after 2:30 p.m. from Place de la République towards Place de la Nation, at the call of the inter-union CGT-Unsa-FSU-Solidaires, joined by the student and high school organizations Unef, VL , MNL and FIDL, with demands on the issues of wages, public services, social protection and ecological transition.

Many left-wing political leaders, such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) and Olivier Faure (PS) are also present in the procession.