Thousands of people joined May Day marches across France in which they called for salary increases and for Macron to drop his plan to raise the retirement age.
"Black Bloc" anarchists ransacked a McDonald's restaurant on the Place Leon Blum and trashed several real estate agencies, breaking their windows and setting garbage bins on fire. The cost of living was the main theme in the presidential election campaign and looks set to be equally prominent ahead of June legislative elections that Macron's party and its allies must win if he is to be able to implement his pro-business policies, including increasing the retirement age to 65 for 62.
"The government has got to deal with the purchasing power problem by raising wages," Philippe Martinez, the head of the hardline CGT union, told Reuters before the rallies.