Mercedes cars were destroyed while cheaper vehicles were left alone

Hundreds of masked protesters left scenes of devastation in Paris as they ransacked shops and fought with police amid the worst violence in the French capital since May 1968.

Ultra-left activists destroyed a McDonald’s restaurant, smashed bus shelters, threw objects at police and formed barricades by setting rubbish bins on fire in the centre of the capital. In one street anti-capitalists vandalised a Mercedes dealership and destroyed three of its cars while other makes of vehicle were left alone.

Riot police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Drivers were ordered to perform U-turns on roads by the Seine near the Gare de Lyon to avoid ending up in the middle of a riot.

Officials said that about 20,000 unionists had taken part in the