21st-century Bastille Day

317 cars burned ahead of Bastille Day

Before the French establishment celebrated the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, there was another annual rite of revolution on a smaller scale.

Once again the early hours of France's National Celebration were marked with the burning of more than 300 vehicles and attacks that left more than a dozen police injured, Paris police said.

The BBC said many officers reported hearing difficulties after the protesters' set off explosives near police.

The violence occurred despite French authorities' precautions that included nearly 10,000 police being placed on guard ahead of July 14. The number of incidents and arrests was higher than in 2008, police said.

Bastille Day -- July 14 -- is the anniversary of the start of the French Revolution when the Bastille prison was stormed in 1789. The following events led to the establishment of France as it is known in the 21st century. More