"Our gratitude goes to all the police, firefighters and gendarmes who were mobilized during the May Day demonstrations to ensure control over what was happening. Our thoughts are with the three injured officers," the city police posted on Twitter.
The march kicked off peacefully at 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT), but soon some of the demonstrators began throwing stones, firecrackers and fireworks at the police. Law enforcement officers used tear gas.
Around 18:00 the clashes resumed, as radical activists threw stones and firecrackers at the police, who again resorted to using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
According to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, 34 people were detained.
#SputnikVidéo | Les forces de l’ordre ont procédé à des interpellations suite à une tentative d’organiser une #raveparty ce 1er mai dans le parc de #Bercy pic.twitter.com/z5Vrya1eK9
— Sputnik France (@sputnik_fr) May 1, 2021
The General Confederation of Labor, the French national trade union center, stated that a total of 150,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country, out of which 25,000 — in Paris. The French Interior Ministry estimated the total at 106,000 countrywide and 17,0000 in Paris.
