FILE PHOTO: Tear gas fills the air as protesters wearing yellow vests, a symbol of a French drivers' protest against higher diesel taxes, demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron immediately went to the Arc de Triomphe after returning to Paris on Sunday from Argentina to assess the damage after rioters looted and defaced the famous landmark during a day of riots.

TV images showed the inside of the monument ransacked with a statue of Marianne, a symbol of the French republic, smashed, and graffiti sprawled on the exterior ranging from anti-capitalist slogans to social demands.