While thousands of people demonstrate throughout France on the occasion of Labour Day, May 1st, scenes of violence were observed in the capital.
Thousands of people demonstrate throughout France Wednesday, May 1st, 2019. In Paris , the atmosphere is very tense and clashes between “black blocs” and police took place in Paris. A situation that contrasts with the good-natured atmosphere in the region.
The Paris union mobilization for the Labour Day began around 2.30 pm at the call of the CGT in particular, but by 10am the first yellow Vests had started to flow to Montparnasse, at the beginning of the course which is to end place of Italy.
#Manifestations du #1erMai : à #Paris, le cortège s’est élancé, sous la protection des forces de l’ordre.
Partout en France, vigilance, réactivité et fermeté pour permettre aux manifestations pacifiques de se dérouler. pic.twitter.com/KMQgoZbDMf— Ministère de l’Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) May 1, 2019
🗣 “On va vous crever aujourd’hui !”
Forte tension boulevard du Montparnasse entre manifestants et forces de l’ordre. Plusieurs interpellations.#1Mai #1erMai #FêteduTravail #giletsjaunes pic.twitter.com/xgC6EJtI73
— Yahoo Actualités (@YahooActuFR) May 1, 2019
An injured, Philippe Martinez
At midday, among the protesters, hundreds of hooded and black-clad radical militants began chanting their usual slogans, such as “everyone hates the police” or “ah ah, anti, anti-capitalist,” before send projectiles to the police.
In a tense atmosphere, the CRS responded with tear-off grenades and tear gas. A protester was wounded in the head, according to an AFP journalist.
#SputnikVidéo | Deux manifestants blessés ont rapidement été évacués hors du cortègehttps://t.co/b0k7MAbFDL#FêteDuTravail #1erMai2019 #1erMai pic.twitter.com/kFUtVVZyj5
— Sputnik France (@sputnik_fr) May 1, 2019
The general secretary of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, who had to make a speech, had to be exfiltrated by the members of security because of tensions with the black blocks.
#1erMai à Paris : Philippe Martinez de la #CGT éjecté de la Manif
Le point sur #La26
Le direct >https://t.co/8EfUnwLUz0 pic.twitter.com/O84gWXcelh— LCI (@LCI) May 1, 2019
He came back soon after.
#1erMai à Paris : Philippe Martinez de la #CGT à nouveau dans le cortège
Le point sur #La26 avec @lucas_zajdela
Le direct >https://t.co/vmLVNkKPDM pic.twitter.com/42cNm1hVog— LCI (@LCI) May 1, 2019
165 arrests and 9016 checks
While the prefect ordered the closure of shops, tensions were particularly concentrated around the restaurant La Rotonde, Macronist “Symbol” where the candidate of En Marche had celebrated his qualification in the second round of the presidential election. This brewery was entirely covered with wooden panels, to avoid a fate comparable to that of Fouquet’s on the Champs-Elysées on March 16th.
La Rotonde, restaurant où Emmanuel Macron a fêté sa victoire en 2017, est particulièrement bien protégé par les forces de l’ordre. #1mai #1ermai pic.twitter.com/szH5ImgVGx
— Pierre Tremblay (@tremblay_p) May 1, 2019
“They gave us measures that give 15 or 20 euros, thinking that it was enough as if we were beggars! Macron is not a head of state, it’s not a business leader, “says Pascal Thiberge, 59, Parisian, who did all the acts of” yellow vests “.
The ministry, which has deployed more than 7,400 police and gendarmes expects “1000 to 2000 radical activists”. Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron claimed that the response to “black blocks” is “extremely firm” after calls on social networks to turn Paris into “capital of the riot”.
In the late morning, the police prefecture reported 165 arrests and 9016 checks.
#1erMai à Paris : selon la préfecture de police, 165 interpellations depuis ce matin, 9016 contrôles préventifs.
Le direct > https://t.co/67qgBX5Pms pic.twitter.com/XsRr9RrTLu
— LCI (@LCI) May 1, 2019
Often the scene of spectacular overflows since the beginning of the movement of “yellow vests”, the capital was squared by a strong security device, with early morning random checks of bags and vehicles. The district of Concorde and Champs-Elysees was totally cordoned off.
A few kilometres from Montparnasse, Place de l’Odeon, the so-called “reformist” unions (CFDT, CFTC, Unsa), had mobilized in the calm in the morning.
“Give also to the Misérables”
Nearly 300 initiatives are scheduled to take place this Wednesday, according to the CGT.
In the regions, the labor day was celebrated in a festive atmosphere by trade unionists, “yellow vests” and politicians, but under police surveillance. Several prefectures have announced bans to march in the city center, as in Caen or Lyon.
They were 6200 in Lyon, 2400 in Montpellier, 1500 in Lille, 2100 in Besançon, 3400 in Nantes, 1600 in Strasbourg according to the police. In Bordeaux, unpublished, the march of May 1 had no route defined in advance. However, it was held in a happy atmosphere to the sound of djembe and whistles. Nearly 6400 union activists and 1300 “yellow vests” beat the pavement, the same source.
“No justice, no peace”, “The people hate Macron” or “Thank you for Notre Dame, but give to Les Misérables”, could one read in Lille on placards in the procession in which CGT flags were brandished , PCF or France Insoumise.
“It’s blurring the message”
In Rennes, where nearly a thousand people marched, Christian, a 52-year-old bookseller, came to “react to this antisocial policy that is breaking society. People like Macron call themselves progressives but they are regressors, “he says.
But unions fear that their demands will not be heard in the midst of the violence.
“It blurs the message,” said in the morning Yves Veyrier, the number one FO. “It’s a day of mobilization and it takes all its importance after the announcements of Emmanuel Macron who said, I understand you, I do not change anything,” said Philippe Martinez (CGT).
“I hope that tonight we will remember that trade unions have raised concerns, social demands and proposals,” said Laurent Berger (CFDT).
Disillusioned last week by the announcements of the President of the Republic, aimed at calming the grumbling of “yellow jackets” and valued by Bercy at 17 billion euros, unions demand including increased purchasing power. But once again, they manifest in a scattered order.
Last year, the demonstrations gathered 210 000 people in France according to the CGT, 143 500 according to the Ministry of the Interior. In Paris, the police had identified 20,000 protesters (the CGT 55,000) in the trade union procession and 14,500 non-processional members. Nearly 1200 radical militants had then disrupted the Paris demonstration.
