Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigette attend Lily of Valley ceremony

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Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have taken part in the traditional Lily of the Valley ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

The couple wore masks as they celebrated the May 1 event holding the flowers which are a symbol of spring.

The tradition began at the beginning of the 20th century with lily of the valley flowers sold on May 1.

It comes ahead of Macron’s decision to start unwinding the country’s third lockdown on Monday.

The number of people hospitalised for COVID-19 in France decreased on Friday for the fourth straight day and the average number of new daily infections fell to the lowest in more than a month. 

The overall number of hospitalisations was down by 557 to 28,930 and the number of patients in intensive care wards fell by 129 to 5,675.

The health ministry reported 24,299 new confirmed virus infections, taking the total to 5.6 million – the world’s fourth-highest.

© Provided by Daily Mail
The couple wore masks as they celebrated the May 1 event holding the flowers which are a symbol of spring

© Provided by Daily Mail
The couple wore masks as they celebrated the May 1 event ahead of Macron’s decision to start unwinding the country’s third lockdown on Monday

The increase of 3.2 per cent over last Friday was the lowest week-on-week percentage increase since end July 2020.

The seven-day moving average of new cases, a closely watched indicator, is now down to just over 25,000, from a high of more than 42,000 mid-April.

France also reported 290 new coronavirus deaths, to 104,514, the eighth highest tally globally.

Elsewhere on Saturday, police scuffled with protesters in Paris on Saturday, firing tear gas as thousands turned out across France for May Day workers’ rights demonstrations.

A police source told AFP that far-left ‘black bloc’ protesters had repeatedly tried to block the trade union-led march in the French capital, with 34 people detained.

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Some protesters smashed the windows of bank branches, set fire to dustbins and threw projectiles at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and stingball grenades. An injured policeman had to be evacuated, an AFP journalist saw.

The CGT union said nearly 300 May day protests were planned around the country, with authorities expecting around 100,000 demonstrators to join them in total.

The crowds held placards with different demands, ranging from the end of the nighttime curfew in place as part of coronavirus restrictions, to a halt to unemployment reforms due to come into force in July.

Members of the yellow vest anti-elite movement, which rocked Emmanuel Macron’s presidency two years ago before largely fizzling out, could also be spotted at protests up and down the country.

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