Mass casualties of French police in major Labor Day protests.
According to Sky News, more than 100 policemen were injured during the Labor Day protests in France. In this regard, the French Interior Minister announced that at least 108 police officers were injured in clashes with angry protesters across France.
“Gerald Darwinin said that this high number of police injuries is very rare.” He also added that 291 other people were arrested during the unrest.
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations on May 1 against the French president’s plan to reform pension laws.
Although most of the protests were peaceful, radical groups threw petrol bombs and firebombs during the demonstrations, and police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
It is not known how many protesters were injured in the protests of the previous day. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne also tweeted that the violence was “unacceptable”.
The French Ministry of Interior announced the total number of demonstrators at 782,000, of which 112,000 participated in the protests in Paris, the capital of this country. The French Workers’ Union also says that the number of participants in this year’s Labor Day protests in France has tripled compared to previous years.
The French interior minister also said that in Paris, a police officer suffered severe burns to his hand and face after being hit by a petrol bomb. Violent actions by protesters also took place in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Nantes, and some vehicles were set on fire. Protesters also attacked some businesses and stores.
Protesters also reportedly briefly occupied a luxury hotel in the southern city of Marseille. According to AFP, Monday was the first time since 2009 that eight major French trade unions supported protest calls at the same time.
Since March, i.e., a month ago, when the Macron government decided to change the plan to change the pension laws without the approval of the parliament and despite widespread dissatisfaction and using special powers, the protests in France have been accompanied by violence.
