Police hurt in Paris May 1 clashes with youths

Three officers were hurt in clashes between riot police and masked youths during a May 1 march in Paris on Monday that carried extra significance six days before the presidential election run-off. A man kicks back a tear gas canister at police in Paris on April 27, 2017 during a demonstration against the results of the first round of the presidential election AFP"Masked individuals threw objects and Molotov cocktails at police" who responded by firing teargas, authorities said. The violence erupted near Place de la Bastille in the French capital as the march led by three unions including France's biggest, the CGT, headed for another square nearby.

#France: Protesters clash with riot cops during #MayDay2017 rally in #Paris. pic.twitter.com/asgTPtDMeG

— th1an1 (@th1an1) May 1, 2017

At one point, a blazing shopping trolley packed with flammable material was pushed towards police lines, an AFP photographer saw. The rivals for the presidency, centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen, faced shows of opposition to their programmes during the fractious May 1 workers' marches. Demonstrators clash with French anti-riot policemen during a march for the annual May Day workers' rally in Paris on May 1 AFPThe election runoff takes place next Sunday.