Socialist Segolene Royal sternly warned voters that violence and injustice would be unleashed if France were to elect conservative Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured here) as President. Well, she was correct...Sarkozy's election sparked angry protests by some Royal supporters -- as well as in high-immigration suburbs where the former interior minister's tough stance on crime has made him a hate figure for many.
Riot police fired tear gas at up to 300 stone-throwing protestors who burned an effigy of Sarkozy in the Place de la Bastille in central Paris, where about 5,000 Royal supporters had gathered, some shouting "Sarko-fascist".
Clashes with police broke out in the provincial cities of Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Toulouse, Lyon, Nancy and Metz after crowds up to 2,000 people gathered to vent their anger, some stoning police lines.
Dozens of people were arrested in clashes that left several protestors and police injured, including two officers slightly hurt by acid in the western city of Nantes where shop windows were smashed and waste bins were set on fire.
Acts of arson and vandalism were also reported in suburbs across the Paris region, with around 100 cars torched.
In a sharp campaign jab on Friday, Royal had predicted Sarkozy's election could unleash violence in the suburbs...
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