France rallies against Le Pen

About 250,000 marched against Le Pen in Paris alone

More than a million people have taken part in May Day demonstrations against far-right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen.

For me, Le Pen's policies are like a return to year zero

Cecile Boudard
Anti-Le Pen demonstrator

The interior ministry estimates that 1.1 million protesters turned out, including 250,000 in Paris, overshadowing a march by up to 20,000 supporters of the National Front leader in the French capital.

Thousands of riot police were deployed to keep the rival groups apart.

The anti-Le Pen demonstrators taking part in the Paris marches included groups carrying Communist red flags, anti-globalisation campaigners and trade unionists.

Le Pen: Attacked Chirac's "corruption"

The National Front leader, who espouses anti-immigrant policies, shocked Europe by winning nearly 17% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election and the right to challenge incumbent Jacques Chirac in Sunday's run-off.

The national turnout made Wednesday by far the biggest protest against Le Pen since he edged Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin out of the contest in the first round on 21 April.

May Day is traditionally celebrated by both left and right in France - albeit for different reasons.

For the left, the day is about celebrating long-standing workers' rights.

In the far-right's own mythology, 1 May is about celebrating Joan of Arc, the virgin peasant soldier who in the 15th Century helped throw the English invaders out of France.

	:	Voters' voices
In pictures: Views from the May Day marches

Many Le Pen supporters waved French flags and shouted "Le Pen for president!" as they filed past a statue of Joan of Arc before listening to the National Front leader give his first public speech since his electoral breakthrough.

Mr Le Pen, 73, laid a wreath at the statue and then marched to the Place de l'Opera to address the crowd.

The streets of Berlin saw clashes overnight

Seizing on sleaze allegations that have dogged Mr Chirac, he said: "The incumbent president is the godfather of the clans who are bleeding the country dry.

"He stinks of corruption. He is dripping with money."

Opinion polls have forecast that Mr Chirac will win a second term by a landslide on Sunday, backed by a coalition of mainstream political parties, pressure groups and community organisations.

Police in other European capitals were also on high alert for May Day protests:

• In Berlin, hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police overnight after the attempted looting of a supermarket, ahead of Wednesday's anti-globalisation protests.

• In London, all police leave was cancelled and 6,000 extra officers were drafted in to control protests by environmentalists, anti-capitalists and trade unionists

• In Moscow, thousands of communist supporters and trade unionists took to the streets.

In May Day demonstrations elsewhere, police on horseback in Australia broke up a protest outside the Sydney offices of the company which runs detention centres for illegal immigrants.

May Day

Declared an international working-class celebration in 1889

Public holiday in many countries

Celebrated in pagan times in Europe as the first day of spring

Other Australian cities have also seen May Day rallies, with protests against the government's policies towards asylum seekers, in support of Palestinian land claims and more generalised anti-globalisation demonstrations.

In the Philippines, thousands of supporters of Joseph Estrada, the imprisoned ex-president, marched on the presidential palace in the capital, Manila.

And in the Indian city of Calcutta, hundreds of prostitutes held a rally to campaign for the legalisation of the sex industry.