
Clashes between the police and the protesters during the May Day demonstration. Paris, France, May 1, 2023 Photo: Lafargue Raphael/ABACA Via Reuters

In France, on May 1, people again took to the streets against the already adopted pension reform. In a number of cities, clashes with the police occurred. On International Labor Day, French trade unions called for “exceptional mobilization” against the law, which provides for the gradual increase in retirement from 62 to 64 years. According to trade unions, 2.3 million people entered the streets throughout the country.
In the French capital, the Universal Confederation of Labor counted 550 thousand protesters, the police - 230 thousand. Some demonstrators set fire to garbage tanks, furniture from the cafe, smashed the windows and threw the police stones.
During the clashes in Paris, a policeman was seriously wounded, said the Minister of Internal Affairs of France Gerald Darmanen. According to him, the “Molotov cocktail” fell into the policeman. In total, at least 68 people were detained in Paris, according to police reports.
In Lyon, the police announced 17 thousand demonstrators, the universal confederation of labor - about 45 thousand. There were also clashes with the police, protesters also burned garbage tanks and beat windows. The Le Monde correspondent Richard Shittley said that due to the clashes, the demonstration participants for more than four hours could not reach the final point of the action-the area of Belurk. The police confirmed the detention of 33 people.
According to trade unions, 80 thousand people entered the streets, the authorities announced 17.5 thousand protesters. In this city, the police detained at least 22 people. The action in Nan was also accompanied by clashes of demonstrators with police officers. According to LE Monde, local authorities, five people, including the gendarme, were taken to the hospital. Among them there is also a demonstration that received a serious injury to the hand. In addition, the authorities announced 21 injured policeman.
In Marseille, where the action took place relatively calmly, the trade unions announced 130 thousand demonstrators, the police about 11 thousand. However, after the demonstration of the demonstration, about 200 protesters occupied the Intercontinental luxury hotel. The local police announced the four detainees for "throwing objects and causing damage."





