Tens of thousands march in Paris May Day protests

Tens of thousands of Parisians marched Wednesday for May Day rallies as French police clashed with stone throwers.

More than 200 arrests were made as riot police used tear gas and sting grenades to control the crowds at the main protest, according to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured.

{mosads}AP reporters observed groups of hooded, black-clad people shouting anti-police slogans while some protesters threw rocks and other objects at officers.

Some 7,400 police officers are deployed in the French capital. Authorities closed approximately 580 shops, restaurants and cafes on the Paris protest route and shuttered several subway stations.

A large number of peaceful protesters eventually started proceeding through the Paris streets, reportedly holding signs that read “long live freedom, long live socialism” and “police, gendarmes, join us.”

Authorities had previously warned that “radical activists” could join the protests and incite the kind of violence that has characterized past yellow vest protests and May Day demonstrations in recent years.

Many yellow vest protesters, who sparked international headlines last year over their demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, joined the traditional union march on Wednesday.