Sunday's chaos followed a rally of royalists held to commemorate a murderous episode of the Vendée War in 1793.
ADVERTISEMENTFive far-right activists were arrested after a violent rampage in the French city of Le Mans wrecked terraces and shop windows in the city centre, including a gay bar, local media reported.
Police confirmed to Euronews that suspects in Sunday's attacks had been arrested and that the investigation was ongoing, but declined to give details.
The chaos followed a rally of royalists held to commemorate a murderous episode of the Vendée War in 1793.
The five, aged 18 to 29, came from the Brittany, Angers and Paris regions. They carried helmets, masks, reinforced gloves, batons and a royalist scarf, according to local media.
Police are looking into their affiliation with Action Francaise, an extreme-right, monarchist group, local media reported.
Le Mans' mayor, Stéphane Le Foll, said that "justice must be strict against this unacceptable behaviour."
The far-right group "Ouest Casual" claimed responsibility for the action in a Facebook post.
"Despite many calls from anti-fascists to disrupt the march for the Vendée, our action happened. About a hundred were present to stop the disrupters," their message read.
The group also posted a video where people could be heard chanting "Le Mans, nationalists" while marching in the city centre.
As a regional official remarked on social media that a far-right regional candidate, who had praised the rally, had remained silent on the vandalising acts that followed.