May Day demonstration in Paris: Socialist elected officials violently attacked in the procession, Retailleau describes it as a "lamentable attack"

On Thursday, May 1st, the Socialist Party denounced physical attacks by black blocs against some of its activists and elected officials during the Paris May 1st procession, and warned that the matter would be brought before the courts.

"In Paris, socialists were physically attacked by black blocs that are ignoring any collective conscience in these times of historical upheaval. Through their methods, they discredit the struggles they claim to be leading," denounced Socialist Party First Secretary Olivier Faure on X.

The incidents occurred in the middle of the afternoon at the stand set up by the Socialist Party along the route of the Paris demonstration.

"Complaints are being filed. We will not let anything go. We will never accept the violence of fanatics who serve no cause," added the leader of the socialists.

According to an AFP journalist, protesters dressed in black, some carrying anti-fascist flags, violently jostled elected officials and Socialist Party activists.

"Everyone hates the Socialist Party," chanted these demonstrators, hostile to the socialist presence.

Socialist MP Jérôme Guedj, who was forced to leave a rally against Islamophobia on Sunday after receiving anti-Semitic insults, had to be removed from the procession, according to television footage.

"A first virulent group gave us the finger, insulted us as 'traitors' while chanting 'everyone hates the Socialist Party'," Jérôme Guedj told AFP.

"Then 20-30 people dressed in black, like black blocs, arrived and made contact. They hit people and led a charge, throwing several agricultural bombs," he continued. " For me, it was black blocs and anti-fascists ," he added, specifying: "these people turned towards me a lot to insult me."

"Kicks, punches"

La France Insoumise, whose relations with the Socialists have become frosty, has been keen to distance itself from these events. " Thank you to the media for stopping blaming us for any action against this or that person in the Paris demonstrations ," commented Manuel Bompard, the national coordinator of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's movement.

Without accompanying this clarification with a firm condemnation of the violence or a message of support for the attacked socialists. "We do not agree with the fact that political disagreements are settled like this," he simply added.

Accusations of "treason" have been regularly raised against the Socialist Party (PS) within the radical left and the far left since the PS's decision not to vote on the motions of censure against François Bayrou last winter.

"We were insulted and then attacked by black blocs: they tore down our flags and banners, kicked and punched us (...) a comrade was lynched on the ground, another elected official was injured ," MEP Chloé Ridel told X. The PS stand was "destroyed," she added.

Interviewed on LCI, CGT general secretary Sophie Binet responded that "it is violence that is not welcome in these demonstrations." For his part, Communist Party national secretary Fabien Roussel expressed his "total support for the Socialist Party activists and elected officials who were attacked on May 1st."

Retailleau denounces

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that "law enforcement officers intervened to secure the scene and make arrests." "I want to express my full support to the activists who were attacked. We will not back down in the face of the political violence that the far left is trying to establish in our country," he added on X.

On Thursday, he denounced the " absolutely lamentable" and "unacceptable" attack targeting elected officials and activists of the Socialist Party, four of whom were "slightly injured" during the Parisian demonstration on May 1st.

"Unfortunately, there were elected representatives of the Socialist Party who were outside a building and who were attacked. (...) So they had to be exfiltrated. It's absolutely lamentable. It's unacceptable. I want to denounce those who have this kind of violent practices and who target perfectly democratic parties," said Bruno Retailleau, interviewed by BFM TV from the Paris command center.