Dozens of far-left Black Bloc Antifa activists stormed a Paris hospital during the May Day riots in the city this week, with staff claiming the extremists threatened them and put patients at risk.
The group of black-clad extremists made “violent and threatening gestures” according to Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital director Marie-Anne Ruder, who said she was “shocked” that the anarchists would choose to target a hospital during the riots — which have become an annual occurrence in the French capital, Ouest France reports.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner visited the hospital later in the day and described the incident in even stronger terms, saying that the far-left individuals had “attacked” the medical centre and that a police officer had told him around 30 people were arrested as a result.
Health Minister Agnès Buzyn also expressed disbelief at the attack, saying, “We would not like to believe it. We would like to think that violence cannot target everything. To go after a hospital is unspeakable.”
Director-General of Public Assistance for Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) Martin Hirsch gave some more details about the attack saying the intruders attempted to break into the surgical ward while staff “were holding the door with all the force they could shouting ‘be careful, there are patients here’.”
Shortly before the attack, a riot police officer was admitted to the hospital after suffering head injuries. Mr Hirsch said he did not want to speculate whether the anarchists were searching for the officer or fleeing other officers, but said that he would provide any CCTV footage to police to examine.
This year’s May Day riots in Paris saw around 300 arrests of far-left extremists and others, whereas last year saw the arrest and overnight detention of just over 100 individuals.
The far-left Black Blocs have also been blamed by some for much of the violence and vandalism that has occurred during the weekly Yellow Vest protests against President Emmanuel Macron.
Marion Maréchal, the niece of populist leader Marine Le Pen, claimed the violence during the early stages of the Yellow Vest movement had been caused by the radical left.