Tensions were running high on Paris‘ Bastille Square on Sunday night, at the end of a protest called by left wing militants.
The protest started after the results of the first round in French presidential election were announced.
Results showed conservative Emmanuel Macron and far right leader Marine Le Pen both qualified for a May 7 runoff.
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Earlier, militants, protesters clashed with police, built barricades and damaged shop windows. Several people were detained.
Meanwhile, Le Pen vowed to defend France against “rampant globalization.”
“This result is historic. It puts on me a huge responsibility to defend the French nation, its unity, its security, its culture, its prosperity and its independence,” Le Pen told supporters.
“The main thing at stake in this election is the rampant globalization that is endangering our civilization,” she added, urging French voters to shake off the shackles of an “arrogant elite.”
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However, new opinion polls on Sunday had Macron easily winning the final clash against the 48-year-old Le Pen.
Macron told his supporters he wanted “to be the president of patriots in the face of a threat from nationalists.”
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