Riot police fired tear gas and fought running battles with pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Paris this afternoon after a banned protest march turned violent.

About 6,000 mostly peaceful protesters assembled in the Barbès area of northern Paris in defiance of a government ban. When the march was blocked by police lines after only 500 metres, a minority of young protesters started to hurl stones, bottles and sticks at the riot police.

The police responded with tear gas shells, which sent clouds of acrid fumes swirling among the protesters, shoppers and passers-by. The demonstration - banned by the government after a similar pro-Palestinian protest last week turned violent - scattered into the maze of streets just north of the Gare du Nord.

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Groups of demonstrators squatted on road junctions, defying the police to remove them. Young protesters with scarves over their faces raided skips for stones and tore up lumps of tarmac to hurl at the police lines.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Pro-Palestinian protests across Europe Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Pro-Palestinian protests across Europe 1/12 Protests in London Thousands of protesters march through Whitehall in central London, to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza and "justice and freedom" for Palestine on July 19, 2014. PA 2/12 Protests in London Pro-Palestine activists gather outside the BBC headquarters in London to vent their anger at the corporation's 'biased' coverage of the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip on July 15, 2014. PA 3/12 Protests in London A bus driver navigates a path through a crowd of pro-Palestine activists gathered outside the BBC headquarters in central London to vent their anger at the corporation's 'biased' coverage of the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip on July 15, 2014. PA 4/12 Protests in Paris Protesters sit and hold Palestinian flags near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images 5/12 Protests in Paris A protester speaks with a riot police officer near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images 6/12 Protests in Paris Protesters stand together as they clash with riot police near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images 7/12 Protests in Paris Protesters clash with riot police near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images 8/12 Protests in Athens Palestinian supporters burn an Israeli flag during a massive demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy, in Athens, Greece, on July 17, 2014. PA 9/12 Protests in Athens A Pro-Palestinian protester kneels on the ground, blindfolded, durnig a demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy, in Athens PA 10/12 Protests in Thessaloniki A young Palestinian supporter holds up the front of a giant Palestinian flag during an anti-war protest in Thessaloniki, Macedonia PA 11/12 Protests in Madrid Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists in Madrid uphold their opposition to Israeli military strikes on Gaza PA 12/12 Protests in Madrid Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists in Madrid uphold their opposition to Israeli military strikes on Gaza PA 1/12 Protests in London Thousands of protesters march through Whitehall in central London, to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza and "justice and freedom" for Palestine on July 19, 2014. PA 2/12 Protests in London Pro-Palestine activists gather outside the BBC headquarters in London to vent their anger at the corporation's 'biased' coverage of the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip on July 15, 2014. PA 3/12 Protests in London A bus driver navigates a path through a crowd of pro-Palestine activists gathered outside the BBC headquarters in central London to vent their anger at the corporation's 'biased' coverage of the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip on July 15, 2014. PA 4/12 Protests in Paris Protesters sit and hold Palestinian flags near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images 5/12 Protests in Paris A protester speaks with a riot police officer near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images 6/12 Protests in Paris Protesters stand together as they clash with riot police near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images 7/12 Protests in Paris Protesters clash with riot police near the Barbes-Rochechouart aerial metro station JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images 8/12 Protests in Athens Palestinian supporters burn an Israeli flag during a massive demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy, in Athens, Greece, on July 17, 2014. PA 9/12 Protests in Athens A Pro-Palestinian protester kneels on the ground, blindfolded, durnig a demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy, in Athens PA 10/12 Protests in Thessaloniki A young Palestinian supporter holds up the front of a giant Palestinian flag during an anti-war protest in Thessaloniki, Macedonia PA 11/12 Protests in Madrid Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists in Madrid uphold their opposition to Israeli military strikes on Gaza PA 12/12 Protests in Madrid Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists in Madrid uphold their opposition to Israeli military strikes on Gaza PA

The great majority of the protesters were of North African origin. There was also a contingent of about 100 far left demonstrators from the New Anti-Capitalist party.

Israeli flags were burned. The crowd chanted “Israeli assassins. Hollande is complicit.” Demonstrators carried mock bodies, swathed in bandages soaked in red ink.

A large banner was unfurled reading in mixed French and English g “Isra-hell trinquera” – “Isra-hell will get its comeuppance”.

Earlier, speaking during a visit to Chad, President François Hollande said: “Those who are determined to demonstrate (despite the ban) must take responsibility for their own actions.”

Meanwhile in London today, thousands took to the streets in protest calling for an end to Israeli military action and "justice and freedom for Palestine".

Up to 15,000 people are thought to have marched through the capital from Downing Street to the Israeli embassy in Kensington, where demonstrators were met by a police blockade preventing them from approaching the building.

A number of high-profile Palestinian supporters addressed the crowd close to the embassy, while organisers repeatedly urged the crowds to spread out for fears that people were becoming crushed.