"It's really sad," 48-year-old film producer Natalie Dana told AFP. "It's obvious that the troublemakers are there to do damage, not to demonstrate."

Just the day before, France was shaken when a police couple was stabbed to death at their home in the first deadly jihadist attack since the November bloodbath in Paris that claimed 130 lives.

And on Saturday, Marseille saw the worst violence at an international football tournament since 1998 -- which also occurred in France -- with pitched battles between Russia and England fans in the southern city's old port.

During the clashes, more than 30 people were hurt, including a Briton who was beaten over the head with an iron bar. Ten hooligans were later jailed.

- 'It's catastrophic' -

With France in the global spotlight, the serie noire of violence has prompted fears of lasting damage to the image of the world's premier tourist destination.