'Anti-fascists' clash with Paris police after vote

Police clashed with leftwing demonstrators in Paris on Sunday shortly after early projections from the France's presidential elections showed far-right leader Marine Le Pen had made it to a runoff vote.

Police officers spray gas on demonstrators during a protest in Paris , Sunday April 23, 2017.

Police officers spray gas on demonstrators during a protest in Paris , Sunday April 23, 2017. Source: AAP

Police moved in on the demonstrators, some of whom threw bottles and firecrackers, an AFP journalist saw. Three people were arrested, according to police.

Several hundred young people rallied in the Bastille square -- the historic site where the 1789 French Revolution began -- after projections suggested Le Pen would contest the second round against Emmanuel Macron, a centrist and former banker.

A protest leader called on the public through a loudspeaker to rally "against Marine and against Macron." "We have come here to protest against the pantomime of this election," a demonstrator told AFP.
 Youth push over a glass bottle container during in Paris , Sunday April 23, 2017. (AAP)
Youth push over a glass bottle container during in Paris , Sunday April 23, 2017. (AAP) Source: AAP
Another "anti-fascist demonstration" also took place late Sunday in the western coastal city of Nantes.

Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, scored the first breakthrough in the French presidential elections by the National Front, winning a slot in the runoff in the 2002 ballot. 

He was routed in a head-to-head contest by the centre-right incumbent, Jacques Chirac.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Sunday emerged as the projected winners of a nail-biting first round presidential vote in France.

The likely result clears the way for a straight two-way fight between the pair in a second and final round on May 7, with opinion polls saying Macron is the favourite.

WATCH: Le Pen hailed result as 'historic'


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Published 24 April 2017 8:05am
Updated 24 April 2017 10:24am
Source: AFP


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