2,000 French police on streets for anti-Macron protest

Paris police are deploying in large numbers and activists are calling for calm as the French capital prepares for a mass protest on the anniversary of President Emmanuel Macro’s inauguration.

Authorities are pledging to avoid a repeat of violence and damage that scarred May Day protests in Paris earlier this week.

A judicial official said Saturday that seven people were charged in that unrest, which saw protesters torch cars and vandalize a McDonald’s restaurant and other stores. Authorities blamed masked anarchists who disrupted a peaceful workers march.

Paris authorities have ordered 2,000 police officers onto the streets Saturday.

Organizers of the march, the far left party Defiant France, warned troublemakers to stay away. The party is angry at Macron’s reforms such as abolishing some worker protections and increasing police powers.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.