Protests erupt in Paris after far-right party wins first round of elections

Protests have escalated across Paris after the far-right party National Rally snatched a win in the first round of the French snap election.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital and across other major cities in France after the news that Marine Le Pen’s far-right party had won in the first round of the election.

Latest exit polls showed Le Pen’s National Rally taking around 34% of the vote.

Following second is the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) with around 29%, while the incumbent President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance won about 20.5%.

Protesters on Place de la Republique (Picture: Luc Auffret/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Tension is rising with the police using tear gas as some of the demonstrators are on the streets during a rally against the far-right (Picture: Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto/Shutterst)

A demonstrator holds a flare at the iconic monument of the republic (Picture: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images)

The result comes as a shock for Macron, who called the snap election in response to National Rally beating the centrists in the European Parliament elections.

The winning result means National Rally may become the party to form the next French government.

Footage from Paris shows thousands of people stage protests in opposition to the right-wing win, with some protests reportedly turning into riots.

Pictures show demonstrators climb on the ‘Monument of the Republic’ on the historic Place de la Republique.

A burning barricade during protests against the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) (Picture: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

All eyes are on Paris after the far-right win in the first election round (Picture: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Flares and fireworks were set off (Picture: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

A barricade and bins were set on fire, flares were set off and shop windows were smashed.

Riot police responded by firing teargas against protesters on the streets.

Emotions were said to run high in the capital, with one anti-far right campaigner telling Euronews she felt ‘dejected’ and like ‘crying.’

Jeroen Atputharajah, a 21-year-old activist and former local LFI candidate in the suburbs of the capital told the outlet: ‘My feeling is that I’m scared by what could happen in one week [but]…my state of mind is that of a fight. I am combative. We still have one week to catch up and it’s not impossible.’

A cyclist goes through plumes of police teargas (Picture: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Anti-riot police officers push back protesters as thousands of supporters of the Popular Front (Front Populaire, left coalition) march in streets in central Paris (Picture: Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Protesters walk past a shop with broken windows (Picture: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

All eyes will be on the second round of the elections held on July 7.

The City of Light is set to host the 2024 summer Olympics in less than a month.

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