Macron's Presidential Win Greeted by Violent May Day Protests Criticizing French Leader's Policies

French police fired tear gas to push back black-clad anarchists who went on violent demonstrations and ransacked business premises on Sunday during May Day protests against President Emmanuel Macron's policies.

The situation comes after the French leader was able to win re-election against far-right rival Marine Le Pen. Thousands of people from all across France marched on May Day, calling for salary increases and for Macron to let go of his plan to raise the retirement age.

Macron's Win Greeted by Protests

Many of the demonstrators were peaceful, but violence broke out in the capital, causing police to arrest 54 individuals, including a woman who attacked a fireman trying to put out a fire. In a Twitter post, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that eight police officers were also injured during the chaos.

Civilians clashed with police at the start of the march near La Republique Square and also when they reached La Nation Square in eastern Paris. Police said that "Black Bloc" anarchists ransacked a McDonald's restaurant located on the Place Leon Blum. They added that the suspects trashed several real estate agencies, breaking their windows and setting garbage bins on fire, as per France24.

Left-wing politics have sought to use the May Day rallies which were organized by labor unions to mobilize voters ahead of the country's parliamentary election scheduled in June. They argued that Macron only represents the wealthy and is out of touch with everyday concerns such as the surging cost of living.

Macron has repeatedly dismissed such criticism and argued that he has more economically sound policies for addressing the issues. Jean-Luc Melenchon, a far-left leader who came third in the first round of the presidential election last month, attended the Paris march and called on other parties to unite against Macron.

According to Politico, Melenchon's France Unbowed party is currently negotiating with the Socialist Party about a pre-election pact. The situation comes after Macron unanimously won another term in office during the election's second round last Sunday. He received 58.5% of the vote to defeat his rival, far-right Le Pen.

May Day Protests

The protests shown in the May Day rallies highlight the opposition that Macron will be coming into with his new five-year term. Opposition parties are starting to band together to break the leader's government majority.

There were roughly 250 marches and protests that were held around France during May Day in opposition to Macron. However, some see the French leader's re-election as a big blow to Russian Vladimir Putin, who has been at war with Ukraine for the last two months.

This is primarily because Le Pen is seen as a Putin ally and could have provided Russia support amid Western sanctions that have severely impacted its economy. Some believe that Macron won over Le Pen due to people fearing the latter's promise to drastically change the economy and the possibility of pivoting France closer to Russia's side.

Macron's lead over his rival was the highest seen in a French government election in at least two decades. The situation could give him a substantial boost toward a definitive majority in the National Assembly when elections to fill its 577 seats are held in June, CNN reported.

President Macron Beats Rival Le Pen, Becomes First French Leader To Win Re-election