Hundreds arrested in Paris May Day riots

More than 1,000 ‘Black Bloc’ protesters
have clashed with police in the French capital

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Paris police had earlier warned of possible clashes with
“far-left anarchist groups, known as Black Blocs”, The Guardian says, following a call on social
media to make Tuesday a “Revolutionary Day”.

Protesters reportedly smashed the windows of a McDonald’s
restaurant before setting it on fire, and sprayed anti-fascist
graffiti on a number of walls throughout the area.

The Times says that on one street,
“anti-capitalists vandalised a Mercedes dealership and destroyed
three of its cars while other makes of vehicle were left
alone”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently visiting
Australia, condemned the protesters on Twitter.

“Everything will be done so that the perpetrators are identified
and held responsible for their actions,” he said.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux criticised the protesters
for covering their faces, saying: “When you have sincere
convictions, you demonstrate with your face unmasked.”

Macron is currently “locked in a battle with the trade unions
over his plans to liberalise labour regulations”, the ABC says.

French railway staff have begun three months of rolling strikes
over the government’s plans to overhaul the state-run SNCF
railway.

The violence came on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of
the 1968 Paris protests and general strikes that paralysed France
for more than a month.