In opposition to President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to reform the country’s pension system, protesters organized a fourth round of nationwide protests across France.
According to the interior ministry, there were protests on Saturday, February 11, in Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other towns with more than 960,000 participants.
Authorities in Paris estimated 93,000 demonstrators, the largest number to march against the pension changes in the capital city since the protests began last month.
Unrest appeared briefly during the protests on Saturday. As police stormed the crowd and used tear gas to disperse protestors, one car and numerous trash cans were set on fire on a central Parisian boulevard.
According to Paris police, eight persons were detained for offenses that included vandalism and firearm possession.
Some protesters carried banners with moving messages as they walked with families across the Place de la Republique in the French capital.
“I don’t want my parents to die at work,” read one, held by a teenage boy.
A protracted political war in parliament that could last several weeks or months is currently being waged against the government of Emmanuel Macron.
Mr. Macron claimed that he is keeping up with a key campaign pledge he made when he was elected president in 2017 and before his reelection in April 2022, despite polls continually show that there is rising opposition to the reform and a decline in his own popularity.
Author-Roberta Appiah
