Huge street protests and widespread strikes rocked France on Thursday as demonstrators mounted a fierce display of resistance to a new law raising the retirement age and of fury at President Emmanuel Macron, who bypassed a full vote in Parliament to force the measure through, reports The New York Times.
The outpouring of protest, marked by clashes with the police, came a day after Mr. Macron doubled down on pushing retirement back from 62 to 64, characterizing the reform as “unpopular” but “necessary.” But if he seemed determined not to back down, so did the protesters.
“The government was counting on the movement losing steam,” Philippe Martinez, the leader of the Confédération Générale du Travail, France’s second-largest union, told reporters at the start of the protest in Paris on Thursday.
“The determination is there,” Mr. Martinez said. “The willingness to fight is there, and the objective is the same: repeal the law.”
Though most marchers remained peaceful, there was a surge in violence in some cities, among them Paris, Nantes and Rennes, where groups of black-clad and masked protesters smashed windows, lit fires and threw cobblestones and bottles at the riot police, who responded with tear gas, water cannons and dispersal grenades. About 12,000 officers were deployed across France on Thursday to police the protests, including 5,000 in Paris.
The head of the country’s largest union condemned all violence.
“We have to keep public opinion with us until the end, Laurent Berger, the head of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, warned at the march’s start.
By the time the march in Paris reached its final destination four hours later, protesters were coughing and sneezing through clouds of tear gas. The police had cordoned off most exits.
Across the country, daily life was disrupted.
One in five teachers was on strike, train service and regional flights were reduced, and many oil refineries and fuel depots were blocked by strikers, sparking fears of gas shortages. Famous tourist spots were shuttered, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the nearby Château de Versailles.
Students blocked access to dozens of high schools and universities, protesters blocked ports and roads, and electricity workers said they had briefly cut power to symbolic locations — like the president’s official summer residence in southern France.
It all amounted to what was clearly the biggest challenge Mr. Macron has faced since his re-election last year.