French police use teargas on May Day protesters in Paris

Violence has erupted during a mass rally to mark May Day in the French capital Paris with police using force to disperse demonstrators.

Riot police used tear gas and kettled protesters as thousands turned the event into a march against far right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen ahead of the Sunday runoff. The clashes left several protesters injured. Some of the demonstrators also fought back, hitting officers with projectiles including Molotov cocktails. There were also clashes in the May Day rallies in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who defied a ban and marched to the center of the city. Over 200 people were arrested during the stand-off. Around 10-thousand Greeks also gathered in front of a government building in the capital Athens. They announced a 24-hour national strike to protest the government’s austerity measures as well as a new bailout review underway with foreign lenders.