Tens of thousands of protesters marched in several cities in France on Sunday to mark May 1, but the protest spiraled into running street battles, windows being smashed, and police officers targeted with paving stones.
Video of the violent demonstrations have been widely shared across social media.
Protesters also targeted a number of businesses, including a McDonald’s.
The French demonstrated in cities such as Nantes, Brest, Angers, Rennes and Caen, but Paris saw the most violence. In the city, clashes broke out along the protest route. Protesters also tried to prevent firefighters from putting out fires set by rioters. Protesters also set fire to trash cans in Rennes. According to Reuters, however, 380 arrests had been made and 38 people, including 14 police officers, have been wounded.
The rallies were organized by the far-left CGT (General Confederation of Labor) union and joined by the Yellow Vests.
The French Ministry of Interior said the riots were larger than in previous years in May, with 28,000 protesters in Paris alone and some 164,500 nationwide.
The CGT, however, said there had been 80,000 protesters in Paris and 310,000 across the country.
