Clashes broke out on Thursday afternoon between police and demonstrators in Paris, with projectiles thrown and tear gas used, during a protest against pension reform, an Agence France Presse (AFP) journalist noted.
At the front of the march, members of radicalised, violent groups threw rubbish bins, bottles and smoke at the police. The mobile units moved in to disperse the group using tear gas, a few steps away from the Place de la Bastille.
According to the police, 20 arrests were made during the demonstration, which started at around 2.15pm at the Place de la République and went on to the Place de la Nation, via the Bastille.
The clashes took place at the front of the procession, while the trade union delegations were far behind.
From the start of the protest, the prefecture had indicated that it had detected “risky elements” among the demonstrators.
