On the sidelines of the May 1 demonstration this Sunday, in Paris, a fire of pallets was lit on rue Alexandre Dumas. A firefighter working on the fire was attacked by a protester, who obviously wanted to prevent him from extinguishing the flames.
In images broadcast by television channels and on social networks, the fire soldier can be seen aiming his water hose at the fire when a woman comes to jostle him and tries to snatch the hose from him, before hitting two times his helmet.
PARIS – A demonstrator tries to prevent firefighters from putting out the fire. #May1st
Police charge. Ongoing tension. https://t.co/V3H5AH1ZHn pic.twitter.com/nDFQo6aHnz
— Clement Lanot (@ClementLanot) May 1, 2022
“It’s enough ! Shame on the savagery”, immediately reacted the firefighters of Paris on Twitter. Denouncing a “new aggression” “incomprehensible”, they underline that the soldiers of the fire, “in the exercise of their functions”, are responsible for “protecting the people, the property of the City” and ensuring “the smooth running of the demonstration”.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the woman suspected of the assault was one of 45 arrests made following the violence on the sidelines of the procession.
The president of the national federation of firefighters of France, Grégory Allione, asked that it “be punished”, while the police headquarters, for its part, condemned “firmly” this “scandalous attack”.
In Paris, the demonstration of May 1 was marked by clashes between thugs and police, throughout its course. Street furniture was degraded, garbage cans burned and a dozen bank signs, real estate agencies or insurance companies were ransacked.