France: Violence erupts on Labor Day as protestors clash with police; about 300 arrested

On Monday, about 300 protestors were detained while protesting against the controversial pension reforms in France on Labour Day. Local authorities report that amid the unrest, more than 100 police officers were hurt. A total of 291 people were held across the nation of which 111 were in Paris, according to the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. He mentioned that at least 108 police officers had been hurt, calling that number "extremely rare" for a May 1 rally.

25 officers were hurt in all in the French capital, the minister claimed, with one officer receiving major burns to his face and hands after being struck by a Molotov cocktail. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Yesterday, 540 individuals were arrested. 406 police and gendarmes were injured, some of them seriously. I give them my full support. Faced with this violence, the deafening silence of Jean-Luc Melenchon makes him an accomplice."

782,000 people were involved in the protests: Darmanin

Darmanin estimated that 782,000 people participated in protests around the nation. The CGT labour union, however, contested this number and asserted that close to 2.3 million people nationally demonstrated. Even though most protests were peaceful, a video posted on social media shows that there were isolated spots where violent skirmishes broke out between police and protesters. Police were attacked by the protesters, and they retaliated by firing water cannons and tear gas, RT reported. 

To kill cops and attack the property of others: Darmanin

The French government condemned the violence. French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne stated that while Labour Day was "a moment of responsible mobilisation and commitment," "the scenes of violence on the sidelines of the processions are all the more unacceptable."

Darmanin, meanwhile, asserted that the "black blocks"—far-left organisations—were to blame for the violence. He claimed that in Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, police had to deal with "extremely violent thugs who came with one objective: to kill cops and attack the property of others."

Massive protests in France have been going on for a while now because of French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 to lighten the burden on the country's budget. Notably in April, Macron used unique constitutional authority to circumvent the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament for France, without a vote.