PARIS, May 2. /TASS/. At least 540 people were arrested in cities across France during May Day demonstrations protesting against the government’s pension reform plans, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday.
"As many as 540 people were detained across France during protests, with 300 of the arrestees detained in the capital," France’s top cop told BFM TV.
He added that 406 police officers and gendarmes had suffered injuries. "The number of injured among protesters exceeded 60, with 32 demonstrators sustaining injuries during protests in Paris," the minister noted.
Another round of nationwide protests against the French government’s controversial pension reform plan, which took place on Monday, degenerated into unrest in many cities. Aggressive protesters provoked law enforcement officers by throwing stones and bottles at them, while police officers responded by spraying tear gas, and in Paris resorted to deploying water cannons to clear the streets of demonstrators.
According to the authorities, almost 800,000 people took part in the May Day pension reform protests across France, with more than 100,000 demonstrators taking to the streets in Paris. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT), in turn, claimed that the protests had involved 2.3 mln people, including 550,000 in the capital.