A wounded demonstrator bleeds during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - Some 20 police officers and six protesters were injured in Paris Tuesday as projectile-throwing demonstrators, angry over an unpopular labor reform, clashed with French riot police who responded with tear gas.
Seven unions and student organizations planned the protests against the proposed law to loosen labor rules which saw crowds in central Paris swell into the tens of thousands. Some of the participants later turned violent and vandalized shops and a prominent children's hospital.
Paris police official Johanna Primevert said that in addition to the 26 injured, some 21 people were detained during the day's action against the law that is currently being debated in the Senate.
Protesters set out from southeast Paris heading for the Invalides plaza. On the way, a group of black-clad demonstrators vandalized the Necker Children's Hospital and were dispersed by police with a water cannon.
Health Minister Marisol Touraine called the damage "shameful" and its perpetrators "hooligans."
Street protests also took place in other parts of France and rail workers and taxi drivers were on strike.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed Tuesday because the operators said they could not guarantee public safety and taxi drivers temporarily blocked some of the city's main access roads in the morning.
In a separate protest, Air France pilots were striking to demand better working conditions. About 20 percent of all Air France's flights were canceled, according to the company.
At the Eiffel Tower, an electronic board was indicating "Monument closed - National strike."
"That's a shame for tourists because we didn't just come for the Euros but also the sightseeing," said Petlev Schultz, a German tourist who came to Paris to attend the European soccer tournament.
"We've found out there are strikes everywhere," he added. "We are looking into finding ways to still experience the beautiful city."
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Mstyslav Chernov and Andy Drake in Paris contributed to this report
A demonstrators throws objects during a demonstration at the Place des Invalides in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Riot police officers detain protesters during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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CORRECTS THE DAY. Workers hold flags and burn flares during a day of strikes and protests, in Marseille, southern France, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Workers strike across sectors of the French economy and march through French cities in what unions hope is a huge outpouring of discontent at changes to labor protections and a big challenge to the government. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
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Youth attend a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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A man protects a woman in front of riot police officers during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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A man walks past a gas canister during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Members of the CGT labor union march in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Street protests are planned across France, rail workers and taxi drivers are going on strike and the Eiffel Tower is due to be closed as part of a protest against a reform aimed at loosening the country's labor rules. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Youth use trash bins during a demonstration on the Place des Invalides in Paris, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Police use a water canon during a demonstration on the Place des Invalides in Paris, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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A demonstrators stands among tear gas during a demonstration at the Place des Invalides in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Protestors walk among tear gas canisters during demonstration in Paris, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Youth burn sticks and items during demonstration scene in Paris, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Police forces use a water canon on protestors during demonstration scene in Paris, Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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A demonstrator faces riot police officers during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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A demonstrators wears a mask during a demonstration in Paris Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Protesters in Paris threw projectiles at police officers, who responded with tear gas, amid demonstrations by tens of thousands of people opposed to a proposed labor law. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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