May Day Marchers In France Put Pressure On Re-elected Macron
NDTV
Most rallies were peaceful but in Paris police intervened after black-clad "Black Bloc" anarchists tried to erect a barricade in a street near La Republique Square.
Thousands of people joined May Day protests across France on Sunday to demand social justice and salary increases and to push newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron to drop his plan to raise the retirement age.
Most rallies were peaceful but in Paris police intervened after black-clad "Black Bloc" anarchists tried to erect a barricade in a street near La Republique Square, police said. A McDonald's restaurant and a real estate agency on the Place Leon Blum were also ransacked, their windows broken and garbage bins set on fire.
The cost of living was the main theme in the presidential election campaign and looks set to be equally prominent ahead of June legislative elections that Macron's party and its allies must win if he is to be able to implement his pro-business policies, including increasing retirement age to 65 for 62
About 250 rallies were organised in Paris and other cities including Lille, Nantes, Toulouse and Marseille.
