Mass Protests in France Against Pension Reform

On Thursday, protests against pension reform, which resulted in violent clashes with police, were held in almost all major French cities. Laurent Berger, the secretary general of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour, announced another general strike against the pension reform to take place on 23 March.

The draft reform has caused a massive backlash in French society. There have already been seven general strikes and hundreds of demonstrations in France within the past two months, with more than a million people taking part. During the protests, clashes often break out between the police and protesters.

Take a look at recent protests in Sputnik's gallery.

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Demonstrators clash with riot police during a demonstration after the French government pushed pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using Article 49.3 of the constitution, in Nantes, western France, on 16 March 2023.

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Rubbish bins are set on fire by protesters after a demonstration near the Place de la Concorde, in Paris on Thursday 16 March 2023.

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A protester uses a megaphone in the square in front of the Capitole de Toulouse during a demonstration after the French government pushed pension reform through parliament without a vote, invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, in Toulouse, south-western France, on 16 March 2023.

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Police officers stand in front of fireworks let off by protesters during a demonstration after the French government pushed pension reform through parliament without a vote, invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, in Lyon on 16 March 2023.

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A protester gestures next to burning waste bins during a demonstration in Marseille, in the south of France on 16 March 2023.

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Protesters march during a demonstration in Marseille in the south of France on Thursday 16 March 2023.

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Demonstrators clash with riot police during a demonstration after the French government pushed pension reform through parliament without a vote, invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, in Nantes, western France, on 16 March 2023.

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Firefighters put out a fire near Place de la Concorde after a demonstration in Paris on Thursday 16 March 2023.

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A local resident rides his bike past a fire during a demonstration after the French government pushed pension reform through parliament without a vote, invoking Article 49,3 of the constitution, in Lyon on 16 March 2023.

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Protesters demonstrate at Place de la Concorde near the National Assembly in Paris on Thursday 16 March 2023.

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People run from tear gas fired by French riot police during a demonstration in Marseille in the south of France on Thursday 16 March 2023.

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A man sits near a window broken by protesters after a demonstration near Place de la Concorde in Paris on Thursday 16 March 2023.

Protesters Clash With French Police During Demo Against Pension Reform