Large crowds in Paris and other French cities took to the streets in the first mass demonstrations since President Emmanuel Macron inflamed public anger by forcing a higher retirement age bill through parliament without a vote.
Strikes upended travel in France on Thursday as protesters blockaded train stations, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, refineries and ports.
More than 250 protests were organized across the country and union leaders praised the “significant” mobilization. In Paris, tens of thousands gathered on the Bastille plaza in a cheerful atmosphere, many waving union flags to the sound of standard protest songs as they started walking through the capital. “We are here, even if Macron doesn’t want it, we are here!” many chanted.
In the western city of Rennes, scuffles broke out between some participants and police who used water cannons to disperse the crowd.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced “unacceptable assaults and damage” at a state building and a police station in Lorient, also in western France. “These actions cannot remain unpunished,” he tweeted.
High-speed and regional trains, the Paris metro and public transportation systems in other major cities were disrupted. About 30% of flights at Paris Orly Airport were canceled.
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