Serious riots and clashes broke out at rallies in Paris and other cities on Sunday following a surprise victory for the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) in what was initially expected to be the second round of French parliamentary elections.
In Paris, thousands of people gathered at the Place de la Republique in the center of the capital to celebrate the surprise victory of a left-wing coalition in general elections.
Media reports said some protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas and set wooden barricades on fire.
Many shops and banks in central Paris boarded up their windows with wooden boards on election day in preparation for possible riots.
Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin mobilized 30,000 police officers on Sunday to prevent clashes, with 5,000 in Paris and the capital’s suburbs alone.
Clashes were also reported in the northern city of Lille between far-left activists and police, who used tear gas.
Twenty-five people were arrested after riot police in Rennes, western France, used tear gas on a crowd of left-wing protesters chanting “we all hate the police”, according to media reports.
In Nantes, a police officer was injured by a Molotov cocktail, local media said, and protesters hurled fireworks at security forces, who responded with tear gas.
