Paris police criticised for authorising neo-Nazi rally

About 600 men from far-right groups marched in upmarket Left Bank district of Paris on Saturday

Far-right protesters attend a rally organised by the extreme right-wing organisation C9M in Paris on May 6. EPA

France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and the Paris police force faced criticism and questions on Monday over why a march of about 600 neo-Nazis through the streets of the capital was authorised at the weekend.

Hundreds of men dressed in black from far-right groups marched with flags and chanted slogans through the upmarket Left Bank district of Paris to commemorate the death of a far-right activist, Sebastien Deyzieu, in 1994.

The city authorised the protest and police patrolled near by.

Socialist Party senator David Assouline called on Mr Darmanin to "explain yourself".

"It's unacceptable to have allowed 500 neo-Nazis and fascists to parade in the heart of Paris," Mr Assouline wrote on Twitter.

"Their organisations, the display of their ideology, slogans, insignias, are as much an insult to the dead as an incitement to racial hatred."

France marked its traditional May 8 public holiday on Monday to commemorate the victory of Allied forces over Nazi Germany in 1945, and the lives lost in the fight against fascism.

Ian Brossat, a spokesman for the Communist party, joked that "saucepans are clearly more dangerous than jackboots".

Left-wing charity Attac also wrote that the far-right "demonstrates their hatred with complete impunity in the centre of Paris while the state is seeking to outlaw saucepan-banging".

Well-known intellectual Jacques Attali called the rally "intolerable."

Protests in France - in pictures

Protesters storm the LVMH headquarters during a demonstration against pension reforms in central Paris, France. Bloomberg

Protesters outside a Louis Vuitton luxury goods boutique. Bloomberg

Demonstrators stand in front of the Louis Vuitton store on l'Avenue Montaigne in Paris. AFP

Security staff stand in front of the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton after a protest by labour union members. Reuters

Demonstrators stand in front of the Louis Vuitton store. AFP

Demonstrators, including French General Confederation of Labour (CGT) trade unionists, gather in front of the store. AFP

Protesters gather outside the Louis Vuitton store. Bloomberg

Members of French labour unions enter the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton. Reuters

Protesters outside the Louis Vuitton luxury goods boutique. Bloomberg

A protester holds a lit flare outside the LVMH headquarters during a demonstration. Bloomberg

Protesters storm the LVMH headquarters. Bloomberg

Protesters match during a demonstration in Lyon, central France. AP

Protesters gather on the Place de la Bastille in Paris. Reuters

A protester faces off with French riot police amid clashes during a demonstration in Paris. Reuters

Protesters face off with riot police. Reuters

A protester throws a tear gas canister during a rally in Paris. EPA

A protester is detained by police during a demonstration in Paris. AP

French riot police face off against protesters on the Place de la Bastille. Reuters

French gendarmes and riot police apprehend protesters on the Place de la Bastille. Reuters

French riot police apprehend protesters on the Place de la Bastille. Reuters

A protester is detained during a demonstration. AP

Protesters gather as smoke rises from tear gas during a demonstration in Paris. AFP

Protesters gather on the Place de la Bastille. Reuters

A protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with police. AFP

Protesters gather near the July Column on Place de la Bastille. Reuters

Riot police are surrounded by tear gas during clashes with protesters. EPA

Demonstrators protest against the French government's pension reform in Paris. EPA

Protesters march during a demonstration in Strasbourg, eastern France. AP

Protesters take part in a demonstration in Paris. AFP

Protesters gather on the Place de la Bastille. AFP

Graffiti on the facade of the Bank of France in Paris reads: 'Tax the rich.' AP

Police stand in formation amid tear gas smoke near the Bank of France. AFP

Protesters gather as smoke rises from tear gas during a demonstration in Paris. AFP

Protesters gather during a demonstration. AFP

Protesters gather on Place de la Bastille during a demonstration. AFP

Riot police take cover from paint bombs and projectiles behind protective shields during a demonstration. Bloomberg

Riot police face off against protesters during a demonstration. Bloomberg

Protesters take part in a demonstration in Paris. AFP

Protesters march during a demonstration in Nantes, western France. AFP

Riot gendarmes walk past a bin in flames in Nantes. AFP

A protester throws a bottle during a demonstration in Nantes. AFP

Protesters walk past the Louvre in Paris. Reuters

French gendarmes and riot police stand in position in front of the Constitutional Council during a demonstration. Reuters

Flames rise from a car set on fire during a demonstration in Rennes, north-western France. AFP

The Paris police department reacted on Monday by explaining that it did not have the legal powers to prevent a demonstration unless there was a "proven risk to public order".

"Given that this demonstration had not caused any problems or public order issues during previous years, the Paris prefect was not in a position to take steps to ban it," it said.

It referred to a previous attempt in January to stop a flaming-torch rally by the far-right "Paris Pride" group, which was overturned by a judge after an appeal by organisers.

Protests were banned on Monday around the Champs-Elysees in Paris where French President Emmanuel Macron attended a May 8 ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe war memorial.

Police in eastern Lyon also outlawed demonstrations Monday near a war memorial where Mr Macron was expected to pay tribute to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin.

An appeal from the CGT trade union was rejected by a local court.

French pension protesters block Louvre in Paris - video

Members of the government have been pursued by saucepan-banging protesters since Mr Macron signed a deeply unpopular pension reform into law on April 15 that will raise the retirement age to 64 from 62.

The far-right demonstration in Paris on Saturday ended with participants chanting "Europe, youth, revolution", the slogan of the violent GUD far-right student group that was influential in the 1990s, AFP reported.

Two former GUD members, Axel Loustau and Olivier Duguet, who have worked closely with French far-right political leader Marine Le Pen, were photographed at Saturday's rally, the Mediapart website reported on Monday.

The Interior Ministry has banned some extremist anti-immigration groups in recent years, including Generation Identitaire and Zouaves Paris.