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A fire lit outside a building renovation site during protests in Paris on Monday was relit later in the afternoon.

Earlier in the day French police said two fuel cans were set alight near the Place de la Nation.

The flames caused a huge black cloud to rise high above the trees.

The fire, that blackened the facade of the building, was later relit.

Firefighters put out the flames and were also seen climbing a ladder to the top of the building.

Across France, thousands marched in what unions hoped would be the country’s biggest May Day demonstrations in years.

Some 800,000 took part in the marches across the country, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

They mobilized against French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Organizers see pension reform as a threat to hard-fought worker rights, while Macron argues it’s economically necessary as the population ages.

While marchers were largely peaceful, violence by radicals, an ever-present reality at French marches, marred the message, notably in Paris.

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