Police in Paris say 109 people are in custody after May Day protests against reforms by President Emmanuel Macron turned violent in the French capital.
Heated demonstrations on Tuesday saw vehicles torched, a McDonald’s restaurant smashed up and vandalism at automobile shops. Those in custody Wednesday are suspected of offenses that include carrying prohibited weapons that fire projectiles.
Several people were injured. Paris Police Prefect Michel Delpuech said that violence was carried out by masked attackers from a libertarian group called the Black Blocs that numbered around 1,200 people in total.
He added that “the desire of the radical activists was to spiral the day out of control.”
