As several thousand demonstrators were arriving at the central square, the final destination of the protest march in Marseille, clashes broke out between several dozen people and riot police, who used tear gas, the Parisian newspaper Le Monde reported today.
A police cordon blocked access to one of the main roads leading to the city center and charged after a group of demonstrators tried to break through.
Until then, the demonstrations had been peaceful. The Marseille police prefecture, which reported 30,000 people gathered last Saturday, announced today that there were about 17,000 demonstrators.
In parts of the city, containers were set on fire, which required intervention by the fire brigade, who were greeted with applause by the demonstrators.
Protests are taking place across France today with a large police presence.
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