PROTESTORS have caused carnage on the streets of Paris as cops try to contain them by blasting tear gas and wielding batons.
It comes just months before the Olympics and saw Pro-Palestinian groups and anti-Olympics activists joining together with traditional May Day labor rights marchers.
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Signs calling for higher pay were spotted amongst the chaos with one banner reading: “Tax the rich”, while another said: “Don’t touch the eight-hour workday!”
On a third sign someone wrote: “I want to live, not survive.”
Shocking images captured show a car set alight and cops wrestling with protestors.
Twenty-nine people were arrested over the marches.
Pro-Palestinian groups and anti-Olympics activists joined the rally, chanting slogans in support for people in Gaza.
Other protesters set makeshift Olympic rings on fire to show outrage over the Summer Games.
Frances unions have warned of a strike during the Games if the government does not adequately compensate people forced to work during summer holidays.
Government officials have failed to meet with union leaders, said Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT union.
“How do you expect it to go well if the authorities don’t respond to our simplest demand?”, she said.
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What is May Day?
The Paris May Day labor marches are demonstrations held on May 1st each year, typically organised by labor unions and workers’ rights groups.
They advocate for workers’ rights, fair labor practices, and other related issues.
These marches often involve thousands of participants and occasionally lead to clashes with police, especially if there are confrontations with counter-protesters or if the demonstrations become unruly.
They have been a tradition since the late 19th century, originating from the struggle for the eight-hour workday.
The first significant May Day demonstration occurred in 1890, with workers demanding better working conditions and rights.
Since then, May Day has been observed globally as International Workers’ Day, with various demonstrations, strikes, and rallies advocating for workers’ rights and social justice.
Marie Rieth explained she joined the May Day march in Paris because “it’s abominable what’s happened in Gaza for 7 months, and we find it disturbing what is happening to silence the voices of support for Palestine.”
“And we personally know Gazans who could have been killed under the bombs…Those we know have gotten out,” she added. “They lost everything.”
The riots have sparked concerns over if they will disrupt the Olympic games as the world watches on.
To try and prevent labour strikes during the event French ministers have announced they would offer bonuses to eligible government staff working while the Olympic and Paralympic Games takes place.
The country’s minister for transformation and public services, Stanislas Guerini, said it “must be a moment of success for the nation.”
Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee acknowledged that “the international context is particularly tense today.”
But he has said he hopes sports, not politics, will dominate the Games this summer.
He has also called for a domestic truce for the Olympics saying: “I would like for us to welcome the whole world in the best conditions and that we don’t ruin the party.”
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