France's zero-tolerance approach to protest violence will be tested Wednesday when a heady mix of labour unionists, yellow vest demonstrators and hardline hooligans are expected to hit the streets of Paris for May Day, reports FRANCE 24.
Authorities have warned that this year's May 1 marches could be tense, coming barely a week after leaders of the yellow vest anti-government movement angrily dismissed a package of tax cuts by President Emmanuel Macron.
And with trade unions hoping to raise their profile and thuggish "casseurs" vowing to turn Paris into "the capital of rioting", the government has pledged to deploy security on an "exceptional scale" throughout the capital.
Officials are bracing for a repeat of last year's May 1 violence, when they were caught off guard by some 1,200 trouble-makers who ran amok in Paris, vandalising businesses and clashing with police.
More than 7,400 police and gendarmes will be deployed across Paris on Wednesday, with orders from Macron to take an "extremely firm stance" if faced with any violence, government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said on Tuesday. She said the measures are aimed at protecting peaceful protesters as well as shopkeepers and other citizens.