Key takeaways:
- Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of France for the tenth consecutive day to demonstrate against President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reforms.
- The proposed reforms would raise the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64, with up to 900,000 protesters expected to take part in 240 rallies planned throughout France.
- Demonstrations have paralyzed major services across the country in recent weeks, with no sign of the anger abating and the French government yet to comment on the protests.
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of France for the tenth consecutive day to demonstrate against President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reforms. The demonstrations have been met with an unprecedented deployment of 13,000 police officers, with nearly half concentrated in Paris.
Videos on social media verified by CNN show smoke bombs being let off by protesters in Paris. The Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has warned that radical demonstrators intend “to destroy, to injure and to kill.”
The proposed reforms would raise the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64, which has been met with strong opposition from opposition lawmakers and trade unions. Up to 900,000 protesters are expected to take part in 240 rallies planned throughout France on Tuesday, with 100,000 protesters anticipated to fill the streets of the capital alone.
In Paris, striking railway workers with burning flares and flags invaded and blocked train tracks serving one of the capital’s main stations, Gare de Lyon. Demonstrations have paralyzed major services across the country in recent weeks, with no sign of the anger abating.
The French government is yet to comment on the protests, but the demonstrations are expected to continue in the coming days.
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