Paris Sarkozy riots continue

Protests have continued in Paris following the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as French president.Several hundred people congregated in Place de la Bastille with riot police holding back the crowd and making several arrests.Footage has shown smashed shop windows and burned out cars and motorbikes, while some protesters, who sat down in the square, were forcibly removed by riot police and taken to waiting police vans.One man, a Hare Krishna member shouted at police, "because there have been riots elsewhere in France we are not allowed to walk and sing with our children in the street. Is that the kind of France that you want? It will be fun!"Undercover riot police clashed violently with protesters. One protester shouted: "Do you see. We cannot even tell that you are riot police and you are hitting us. You are hitting people who have done nothing wrong."Following Mr Sarkozy's victory against the Socialist candidate, Segolene Royal, groups of angry youths across French cities set alight hundreds of cars and clashed with police on Sunday night.The conservative Mr Sarkozy defeated Ms Royal by 53.06 per cent to 46.94 per cent with an 84 per cent voter turnout, according to final results released on Monday.The son of a Hungarian immigrant, Mr Sarkozy caused controversy in 2005 when he described rioters as 'racaille', a derogatory term thought to have sparked trouble across France.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | May 8, 2007

Tags:. .per. .mr. .thought. .hundreds. .election