On Monday, the French police harshly repressed the protests that thousands of people carried out in cities such as Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse or Besancon.

In Paris, where citizens began to march from the Republic Square towards the Nation Square, police brutality sparked a strong reaction among the people, who smashed shop windows and banking establishments as well as set fire to containers and other street furniture.

The agents fired tear gas at the protesters, 30 of whom were arrested, according to data from the Police Prefecture, cut off at 3:00 p.m. local time.

In Nantes, the farmers accompanied with their tractors the march called by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). People set fire to litter bins in front of the prefecture, where there were also strong clashes with the police.

In this French city, a citizen lost his hand as a result of the repression, as reported by the television channel France 3.

The tweet reads, “The wave of police violence continues in Paris. The France confiscated by Macron still offers the world the pitiful spectacle of a Police State adrift.”

“Never has the 1st of May mobilized as many people as today. Unity between unions has never lasted so long. We will not separate from each other. We will continue to the end,” a French worker said, as reported by the newspaper Le Progres.

This local outlet also mentioned that citizens took over the esplanade of the Saint-Etienne town hall, where they lit a bonfire to reject the increase in the retirement age to 64 years.

In Lyon, windows of commercial establishments were broken and a luxury car was set on fire, according to France Info. In Besancon, the security forces arrested about 20 demonstrators who were taking part in a rally outside the route of the workers’ march.

Previously, the Interior Ministry mobilized 5,000 police officers to Paris and 7,000 to other cities to contain the protests. The secret services had calculated that at least 650,000 people were ready to participate in some 300 marches across the country.