At Least 108 Police Officers were Injured in France during May Day Protests

At least 108 policemen and gendarmerie were injured yesterday in France, of which twenty in Paris, during clashes in the course of protests against the pension reform, reported APP and BTA, referring to the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

291 people were arrested across the country, 90 of them in Paris.

Darmanin condemned the violence and said such a large number of injured police and gendarmerie on May 1 was extremely rare in the country.

One of the injured police officers was in serious condition after being hit with a Molotov cocktail and his face and hands were burned, Darmanen said.

Earlier yesterday, French unions said more than 2.3 million people took part in protests and demonstrations in France on Labor Day and the 13th nationwide day of protests against pension reform.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, nearly 800,000 people throughout the country participated in these events.

Air traffic was disrupted, with 25 to 33 percent of flights canceled at major French airports because of protests against the reform.

After the pension reform raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 was passed, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on April 17 that he was giving himself 100 days to calm the nation.