Streets in the center of the French capital once again descended into chaos as police officers in riot gear clashed with groups of angry protesters while France was celebrating Bastille Day.

Videos posted on social media showed officers wearing helmets and body armor using tear gas and pepper-spraying crowds in a tense standoff. The protesters were seen throwing various objects at the police.

Footages show the moments of tensions and clashes between police and protesters at the Place de la Bastille, as a small group of demonstrators attacked several officers.

Instances of violence also accompanied a massive protest march organized by a major trade union association, the CGT, together with the Inter-Hospital Collective (CIH) – a group calling for more support for public health care facilities and workers.

More than 3,000 people joined the event and walked from the Place de la Republique in central Paris to the Place de la Bastille. Some 1,300 members of the Yellow Vests movement were seen among the demonstrators, France’s BFM TV said, citing police. The march also attracted some 150 “radicals,” sources within law enforcement told the French media.

The protesters accused President Emmanuel Macron’s government of failing to provide sufficient aid to the nation’s healthcare system amid the COVID-19 pandemic and denounced wage agreements signed just a day before as a “fraud.”

The Yellow Vests also staged a separate demonstration to protest against police brutality. Smaller rallies were held in other French cities, including Toulouse and Marseille.

Bastille Day often sees massive demonstrations, which are frequently marred by violence. Last year, the national holiday witnessed clashes between law enforcement and protesters who sought to block the iconic Champs Elysees avenue with barricades. At that time, more than 150 people were arrested in Paris.

Organized by the activist group Stand up To Racism, over 20,000 people marched across cities in the UK including London, Cardiff and Glasgow, Anadolu Agency reported.

“The marches were a show of unity against the rise in racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and in support of refugee and migrant rights” the organization said in a press statement.

“In the wake of the ‘Punish a Muslim’ campaign which targeted Muslim MPs and households around the country, speakers demanded action from the government against Islamophobic hate crime and a pledge to stand up to Islamophobia on April 3” the press statement continued, referring to another protest planned for April next month.

Attending the marches were Labor MPs David Lammy and Diane Abbot, both of whom were subject to online racist abuse.

The protests are a part of ‘The March against Racism’ which marks the United Nations International Anti-Racism Day.