Hundreds of thousands of French workers on Thursday massed in a new show of anger against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, with protests turning violent in Paris and other cities in a confrontation that shows showed no sign of abating.
The streets of Paris saw clashes between protesters and police during a big demonstration, with security forces firing teargas and charging crowds with batons.
Fires were lit in the street, with pallets and piles of uncollected rubbish set ablaze, prompting firefighters to intervene, AFP correspondents said.
Les CRS tentent de disperser la foule par lacrymo et chargés. Mais il y a plusieurs centaines de personnes. Derriere, ils se font eux mêmes charger. Affrontements en cours pic.twitter.com/ONYJ3S2D5w
— Victor Tassel (@victor_tassel) March 23, 2023
The uproar over the imposition of the reform, which the government chose to push through without a vote in parliament, has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second term in office.
The numbers in Paris and other cities appeared higher than in previous protest days this year, the protests given new momentum by Macron's refusal in a TV interview Wednesday to back down on the reform.
Some 800,000 people marched in the capital, according to the hard-left CGT union, the highest daily number given by unions since the start of the protest movement. The police, for their part, said they counted 119,000 protesters taking part in the demonstrations in Paris. Nationwide, the figure stood at 3.5 million according to the CGT and 1.09 million according to the French Interior Ministry.
Several hundred black-clad radical demonstrators were breaking windows of banks, shops and fast-food outlets, and destroying street furniture, AFP journalists witnessed.
Police reported 14 arrests by 5.00 pm local time.
Since the government imposed the reform last Thursday, nightly demonstrations have taken place across France, with young people coordinating their actions on encrypted messaging services,
'Excessive force'
Acting on Macron's instructions, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne last week invoked an article in the constitution to adopt the reform without a parliamentary vote, sparking two no-confidence motions in parliament which she survived.
Thursday's protests were the latest in a string of nationwide stoppages that began in mid-January against the pension changes.
In the southern city of Marseille, Marine Danaux, 43, said she had brought her son to the protest "so he realises what's going on".
The ministry of energy transition on Thursday warned that kerosene supply to the capital and its airports was becoming "critical" as blockages at oil refineries continued.
Spontaneous protests have broken out on a daily basis in recent days, leading to hundreds of arrests and accusations of heavy-handed tactics by police.
Amnesty International has expressed alarm "about the widespread use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests reported in several media outlets".
Macron said Wednesday that the pensions changes needed to "come into force by the end of the year".
Backtracking on earlier comments that the crowds demonstrating had "no legitimacy", he said organised protests were "legitimate", but violence should be condemned and blockages should not impede normal activity.
UK's King Charles III is due to arrive Sunday for his first foreign state visit as monarchy.
French public sector trade unionists have warned they will not provide red carpets during the visit, but non-striking workers are expected to roll them out.
(Agencies)
