YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. Thousands have taken to the streets in Paris to march against Emanuel Macron’s reforms. ARMENPRESS reports, citing The Local, some 2,000 security forces including riot police were deployed as marchers gathered from midday in warm early summer sunshine in the central Opera square for a protest dubbed a "Party for Macron", a tongue-in-cheek "celebration" of the 40-year-old centrist's first anniversary in power.

Smaller rallies took place in the southern cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux.

But government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux had expressed fears on Friday that the demonstration could turn violent.

"We are worried that there could be violence, and so we're reinforcing security measures," Griveaux said, adding the police role was to ensure peaceful demonstrations could go ahead.

The demonstration was organised by France Unbowed (LFI) party lawmaker Francois Ruffin and other ex-members of the Nuit Debout (Up All Night) leftist movement that staged nocturnal rallies across France in 2016. Ruffin told AFP this week that Macron may have won a democratic election last May but "democracy does not mean shutting up for five years". According to different counts the number of protesters is between 40-160 thousands.

Photo by AFP

English –translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan