French unions and opposition figures have vowed to continue their campaign against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms following yesterday’s May Day demonstrations across France.
The government said 800,000 people took to the streets, while one of the main unions put the figure at 2.3 million.
Such a high toll of police wounded was "extremely rare" for a 1 May protest day, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters.
He added that one policeman who was hit by a Molotov cocktail had received burns to his face and hands, but his life was not in danger.
In the French capital, projectiles were thrown at police, ride-sharing bicycles were torched and bus stops vandalised just as the union-led march got under way from the central Place de la Republique.
Unrest also erupted in Lyon, where several vehicles were set ablaze and some business premises were trashed, television images showed. In Nantes in western France, a fire blazed in front of a local administration building.
French prime minister Elizabeth Borne described the rallies as unacceptable.
The leader of the far left alliance and former presidential candidate Jean Luc Melenchon vowed that the campaign to have the pension reforms withdrawn would continue.
The reforms, raising the minimum pension age from 62 to 64, were signed into law on 14 April. The French Constitutional Council will rule tomorrow on whether or not the measures should be put to a referendum.
The main French unions, who have been cooperating in a rare alliance, will meet later today to decide on the next steps. It is expected that Bastille Day on July 14 will be the next big day of action.
However, there are divisions. The moderate CFDT union has said it will continue to negotiate with Mr Macron’s government on other employment issues, such as salaries, working conditions and hardship benefits.
The more hardline CGT union has said it has not yet decided whether to participate.
Tomorrow the Constitutional Council will consider a second request by a group of left wing senators for the pension reforms to be put to a referendum. However, few expect the Council to approve the request.
President Macron has given his government 100 days to introduce tangible improvements to daily life. His opponents appear determined to keep the focus on pension reforms.
Additional reporting: AFP/Reuters
