The procession was scheduled to start at 2:30pm local time but clashes have already erupted between riot police and protesters who have turned out in their thousands.
Ahead of the march, some 165 protestors were arrested on Wednesday and more than 9,000 “preventive checks” carried out by police, according to French reports.
Protesters in some parts of the city have begun erecting barricades to block the advance of charging riot police.
More about:
