Fires and tear gas Videos show serious riots after left-wing election sensation in France

Severe riots and clashes between demonstrators and police after the election in France. Wooden barricades were set on fire in Paris.

Keystone-SDA

08.07.2024, 01:38

08.07.2024, 15:43

SDA

There have been serious riots and clashes between demonstrators and police in Paris and other cities during rallies following the parliamentary elections in France. In Paris, thousands of people gathered on the Place de la République in the center of the capital to celebrate the victory of the left-wing alliance in the early election. According to media reports, some of the demonstrators clashed with the police, who then used tear gas. Wooden barricades were set on fire.

In the center of Paris, a number of stores and banks had secured their windows with wooden panels on election day in view of feared riots. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had mobilized 30,000 civil servants for election day to prevent possible riots. 5000 of them were to be deployed in Paris and the suburbs alone.

Clashes between anti-fascists and the police were also reported in Lille in northern France. Here, the police also used tear gas against the people. According to media reports, 25 arrests were made in Rennes in western France after riot police used tear gas against left-wing demonstrators who had chanted "Everyone hates the police", among other things. In Nantes, a police officer was injured by a Molotov cocktail thrown at him, according to a report in the local newspaper. Demonstrators threw fireworks at the security forces, who in turn used tear gas.

In Marseille, France's second largest city, large numbers of people also gathered in the city center to celebrate the left's election victory. The police initially kept a low profile while the demonstrators chanted slogans against right-wing media.