Alwaght- Post-election violence has flared up in the French capital Paris after tightly contested presidential poll rejected by young protesters as a masquerade.
Disillusioned youth have rejected the election which has been forced to a second round between centrist Emmanuel Macron and extremist far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Clashes erupted overnight in Paris as young people their frustration with the course of the French presidential election.
French police clashed with irate protestors, some of whom threw bottles and firecrackers with several arrests being reported. Demonstrations were also held at the Bastille square - the historic site where the 1789 French Revolution began – immediately after results indicated that Le Pen would contest the second round against Macron.
Protesters waved red flags and sung "No Marine and No Macron!" in anger at the results of Sunday's first-round presidential election.
A protest leader called on the public through a loudspeaker to rally "against Marine and against Macron,” while terming the election a farce.
Riots were also reported in the western coastal city of Nantes where anti-fascist demonstrators also took to the streets to denounce the election whose runoff is scheduled from May 7.
Some of the demonstrators were heard shouting that “Whatever the outcome, we will not recognize the [the results]!”
Macron and Le Pen have completely different economic visions for a country where a quarter of young people are unemployed following a weakened economy in an environment of terror threats.
While Macron wants gradual deregulation measures that will be welcomed by global financial markets, Le Pen is bent on exiting the EU while she appeals to xenophobic and extremist right wing elements the country.
