
French police were pelted with Molotov cocktails and fireworks as hundreds of anti-Marine Le Pen activists hijacked the annual May Day march on Monday.

Officers were pictured on fire while demonstrators were hit with tear gas and charged with batons as scenes turned ugly ahead of a speech by Le Pen and her presidential opponent Emmanuel Macron.

Meanwhile dozens of anti-Erdogan marchers were detained in Turkey after they tried to walk to Taksim Square, an iconic protest space that had been declared off-limits by police.

Ugly clashes between protesters and police were also photographed in the US, Italy, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In France National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen held a rally ahead of competing events being put on by his daughter and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen and her rival, Emmanuel Macron.

May 1, also known as Labour Day or International Workers' Day, is supposed to be a celebration of the working classes, but is also used by activists to demand better rights.

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France

Police in Paris were attacked with Molotov cocktails after a group of anti-Marine Le Pen activists broke off from the main May Day march began hurling projectiles

Several officers could be seen covered in flames during the altercation, though the extent of their injuries is unclear

French police had anticipated trouble between pro and anti-Le Pen protesters and flooded the streets of Paris, though were unable to stop trouble flaring on Monday afternoon

Officers had managed to isolate the violent demonstrators off to one side of the main march, but struggled to disperse them

A shopping trolley with a large cardboard dragon's head on the front was rolled toward officers at one point. It is not known if anybody was hurt during the clashes

Rioters threw Molotov cocktails at a row of bikes, and appeared to have set one alight, as they called on Le Pen to stand down

Petrol bombs and stones were hurled at police by hooded agitators yesterday during a violent protest against the French presidential election.

Hundreds of demonstrators started rioting during what was meant to be a peaceful union march in Paris.

Police responded to the clashes with tear gas and truncheons. Six officers were injured in the May Day skirmishes.

The violence came during a tense day of campaigning that saw pro-EU candidate Mr Macron admit that if he does not overhaul the bloc then ‘Frexit’ would be inevitable.

He acknowledged that the tide of anti-EU feeling in France is too strong to ignore and that ‘the dysfunction of the EU is not sustainable’.

His words will be seen as a clear attempt to steal votes from his rival, Marine Le Pen, who wants to ditch the euro and scrap Europe’s open border system. Mr Macron added that not addressing the criticisms would either see France follow the UK out of Europe, or put it under the control of Miss Le Pen’s far-Right National Front.

He said: ‘I defended constantly during this election the European idea and European policies because I believe it’s extremely important for French people and for the place of our country.

‘But at the same time we have to face the situation, to listen to our people, and to listen to the fact that they are extremely angry today, impatient, and the dysfunction of the EU is not sustainable. So I do consider that my mandate, the day after, will be at the same time to reform in-depth the European Union and our European project.’

Admitting that allowing the EU to continue without change would be a mistake, he added: ‘I don’t want to do so ... because the day after, we will have a Frexit or we will have National Front again.’

One poll yesterday placed Mr Macron on 61 per cent, significantly ahead of Miss Le Pen who polled 39 per cent.

French police faced a barrage of fireworks, bottles, debris and Molotov cocktails during the Paris May Day march

Police were seen dragging away several demonstrators, though there is no word yet on how many were arrested

Officers used baton charges to break up crowds before dragging some of the violent protesters away and handcuffing them

Police isolated a group of masked men from the main march before hitting them with tear gas as they attempted to bring the situation under control in Paris on Monday

Tempers boiled over in the French capital shortly before Marine Le Pen was due to speak in the city. Emmanuel Macron, her presidential challenger, is holding a rally at the same time

France had deployed more than 9,000 officers on the streets of Paris in order to keep pro and anti-Le Pen protesters apart, and to prevent another terrorist attack

Traditionally May Day marchers in Paris use the occasion to call for more rights for workers, but this year's even also featured a contingent of anti-Le Pen protesters who turned on police

A bus shelter was destroyed by some of the activists, while others hurled flaming projectiles into the streets

Anti-Fascist campaigners have been opposing Le Pen's presidential run, which they say will be damaging to France

Workers were joined by demonstrators trying to block Le Pen's election during elections on Sunday (pictured, protesters hold images of Jean-Marie Le Pen adorned with his daughter's hair)

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's far-right National Front party, held a rally for supporters in front of a statue of Joan of Arc in Paris ahead of the country's elections on Sunday

Elsewhere in Paris union members gathered while waving banners against Le Pen, before participating in a traditional march

As Molotov cocktails were thrown in Paris, Le Pen held a rally for her supporters a short distance away in Villepinte

Emmanuel Macron held a rally shortly after Le Pen when he spoke to supporters in Paris ahead of Sunday's election

Turkey

More than 200 people have been arrested in Istanbul, Turkey, according to local authorities as anti-government protesters took to the streets on May Day

Demonstrators angry at a referendum which passed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers had been trying to reach Taksim Square, a focal point for anti-government protest, when they were arrested

Police reportedly used tear gas canisters to disperse crowds attempting to reach Taksim Square, which had been declared off-limits by authorities after it became a focal point of anti-Erdogan demonstrations

Police in Turkey said 40 Molotov cocktails, 17 hand grenades and 176 fireworks had been confiscated from arrested activists, while illegal posters had also been seized

Police have swarmed Istanbul, one of Turkey's major cities which voted against giving Erdogan new powers in a recent referendum, as May Day protesters took to the streets

While a small group of union representatives were allowed to lay a wreath in Taksim Square, others who tried to reach it were dragged away and arrested (pictured)

Italy

Marchers in Turin, Italy, also got into clashes with riot police as demonstrators took to the streets on Labour Day in order to demand better rights for workers

Turin is a focal-point for left-wing demonstrators in Italy on May Day, and there have been repeated clashes here in the past

Far-left activists demonstrate for workers' rights in Turin on Labour Day. Italy has struggled with employment figures in recent years, with 35 per cent of young people still without a job

Turin is a focal point for far-left activists every year on May Day, with people traveling from across Europe in order to attend demonstrations in the city

Chile

Demonstrators clash with riot police during a rally marking May Day in Santiago, Chile, setting the streets alight and hurling missiles into the air

A well prepared rioter even puts a gas mask on as another sets himself to throw a gas canister along the street, where furniture has been piled up and set alight

The protests in the Chilean capital turned violent today as people clashes with police and lit fires on the day that is traditionally a time for workers to come together to protest against issues affecting them

Trouble on the streets of Chile on May Day is not unusual, with the labor movement's march (pictured today) escalating into violence in previous years

As riot police arrive to try and quell trouble on the streets, one hooded anarchist looks set to fight them with what appears to be a mop handle as the crowd watches on

One of the demonstrators throws a missile against a pharmacy, seen as a symbol of capitalism, which has already has its windows smashed and fence surrounding it ripped down

USA

Demonstrators clash with people opposing their rally during a May Day protest in Union Square in New York City today

With some of the marchers wearing face masks, hoods and helmets, at appears they came prepared for the violence that erupted on the streets of New York today

Rival demonstrators were seen coming together and the crowds appeared to brawl in Union Square, a place synonymous with workers' rights in the city

Some tried to split up the fight, which left bodies tumbling all over the floor as people watched and filmed the escalating situation in New York

One man, centre, wearing a black baseball cap, appears to be winding up a punch amid scenes of chaos in New York today

Guadalupe Chavez, center, and others yell during a protest outside of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services building in San Francisco today

Protesters locked arms in solidarity against Donald Trump's controversial stance on immigration, which has meant efforts to deport many workers have been boosted

Immigrant and union groups marched in cities across the United States today on a day that been used as a rallying point for immigrants since demonstrations were held against a proposed immigration enforcement bill in 2006

Protesters hold a banner that references three of Donald Trump's controversial ant-immigration policies: A travel ban from certain states in the Middle East, raids to increase deportations, and a wall dividing the US and Mexico

Indonesia

Marchers in Jakarta, Indonesia, also clashed with police as they attempted to burn tributes left for governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama after he was defeated in a recent election

Workers also attempted to march to the presidential palace in Jakarta as they called for more rights and better pay

Hundreds of police were on hand to contain the protests in Jakarta, as workers demanded better social security while calling for an end to outsourcing and low wages

Philippines

In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, hundreds of workers gathered to demand better wages and an end to temporary contractual jobs which they say deprives them of benefits given to full-time workers

Workers also called for an end toextra-judicial killngs of alleged drug dealers carried out on the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been widely condemned for the move

Activists criticized Duterte for holding a phone call with President Donald Trump over the weekend, saying an alliance with America would lead to worse conditions for workers

Protest leaders in Manila argued that Trump's America First policy agenda will harm countries like the Philippines

Greece

Several thousand protesters gathered outside Greece's parliament on Monday as the country prepares for more austerity imposed by international creditors which bailed the country out after its economy collapsed

Two Greek labor unions planned marches on Monday as government representatives met with creditors to thrash out a deal that would see more spending cuts, including cuts to pensions

The Greek demonstrations on May Day will be seen as a practice-run ahead of a general strike planned for May 17 after the terms of the latest rescue package become clear

Madrid

Thousands of workers turned out in Madrid, waving banners demanding more rights for workers in a country where the unemployment rate is 18 per cent, with youth unemployment at 41 per cent

Madrid was the focal point for demonstrations in Spain, as protest leaders called for marches in more than 70 cities. Thousands more people attended a rally in Barcelona, while others were held in Seville and Valencia

Pablo Iglesias, leader of the Podemos party, said that after two years of economic growth it is time the government starts ensuring more and better jobs for Spanish workers

UK

Hundreds of workers gathered at Clerkenwell green in London before marching to Trafalgar Square to mark May Day

Union members were joined by striking workers from two cinema chains in the city to mark May Day in London

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke to marchers in Trafalgar Square at last year's event, though there is no sign he will speak during Monday's demonstration

Ukraine

Marchers advocating for workers' rights took to the streets in Kiev, Ukraine. The formerly communist country holds a two-day public holiday to mark the occasion

Thousands of peaceful marchers made their way on to the streets of Kiev to celebrate the contribution of the working class

Supporters of the Social Democratic Party, a fringe political force in Ukraine, march through the streets of Kiev on May Day

Russia

In Russia, state-sponsored celebrations are held for International Worker's Day, with up to 100,000 people marching through the streets of Moscow each year

Thousands of government supporters march through Moscow carrying national flags and banners celebrating the communist congress, the original seat of power for Communists in Russia

While the focal point of marches centered in Moscow, dozens of other cities across the communist country joined in, with Sevastopol reporting record numbers of attendees

Marchers waving blue banners supporting Vladimir Putin's political party, release balloons in front of St. Basil's Cathedral during Labour Day celebrations in Moscow

South Korea

Thousands of trade unionists also gathered in Seoul, South Korea, to demand an end to temporary work contracts which deprives employees of the right to a minimum wage

Members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold up protest posters as they demand better working rights from bosses in Seoul

Demonstrators in Seoul also want working conditions improved for temporary workers, who they say are denied basic rights afforded to those on permanent contracts

Cambodia

In Phnom Penh around 1,000 garment factory workers defied a government ban in order to deliver a petition demanding better workplace conditions on Monday

Hundreds of police watched on as the workers delivered their petition, despite being officially barred from being on the street

Marchers were stopped from reaching government buildings by police, starting an hours-long standoff that ended when one politician emerged to take their petition

Taiwan

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Taipei, Taiwan, in order to demand higher wages for those in low-skill jobs

Union leaders said low wages are 'at the root of all problems' in Taiwan while calling for the minimum wage to be raised

Some protesters threw bean curd at actors dressed up as prominent government members, including president Tsai Ing-wen

China

In China, Monday forms part of a three-day holiday to mark the contribution of workers to the nation, with around 137million people expected to travel over the course of the weekend

Visitors flock to popular tourist attractions during the public holiday, including these people in Tiananmen Sqaure

Tourists file past a giant portrait of nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen as they visit Tiananmen Square for the worker's holiday, one of the busiest times in the Chinese calendar

India

Unionised workers in Bangalore, India, gathered outside the town hall in order to call for better working conditions

India adopted Labour Day as a national holiday in 1923, and every year it is marked by thousand of marchers on the streets

Members of All India Trade Union Congress take to the streets in Hyderabad to mark International Workers' Day

Pakistan

Workers in Lahore, Pakistan, wave portraits of the country's politicians as they demand better rights for the working classes

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Lahore in order to demand more pay, better job security, and more protections