With protests underway in several cities across France, there have been clashes between police and protestors in the city of Lyon.

Axar.az reports, citing CNN, that police used tear gas in central Lyon in an effort to disperse protestors wearing masks, some of whom picked up tear gas grenades and threw them back at police lines.

The clashes occurred around the Place Jean Mace, near Lyon university.

Elsewhere in the city, there was a stand-off between riot police and hundreds of demonstrators.

“Some individuals, wearing hoods and masks, attempted to enter the restricted zone,” and “formal warnings were issued,” a source from the prefecture told BFMTV.

These individuals have since “split into two groups” and are currently being tracked by law enforcement, the source said. Police are intervening “whenever there is an attempt to set up barricades or when projectiles are thrown.”

It should be noted that protests in France are driven by rising living costs, problems with public services and challenges in the education sector.