Rally held in solidarity with French police officers following the Champs-Élysées attack

Dozens of wives and partners of French police officers have protested in Paris following the killing of an officer on the Champs-Élysées.

The protest, organised by the Femmes des Forces de L'Ordre en Colere, marched through the city in the wake of the terror attack on Thursday (20 April), which left officer Xavier Jugelé dead and two others wounded.

The perpetrator Karim Cheurfi, a 39-year-old French national, was also shot dead at the scene and a second man believed to have been involved has since handed himself into Belgian police.

Protesters said they wanted to show solidarity with police officers and remind them they were appreciated in a country that has faced a number of terror attacks in recent years. Images from the scene show protesters approach officers to give them hugs and kisses.

Black balloons were released in honour of police who have died in recent years, with pink ones also released in solidarity with the families they left behind.

However, the protest is likely to have increased the strain on police forces due to the high security concerns at this time.

With the first round of voting in the French elections less than one day away, a separate protest organised by a trade union in east Paris became violent. Rocks and bottles were hurled and riot gear fired tear gas at protesters.

At a separate incident in Gare Du Nord station, a man with a knife sparked a brief security panic, but was immediately surrounded and arrested by French police.

A number of candidates released statements following the Champs-Élysées attack, but have been accused by others of trying to manipulate the incident for political gain.