Pars Today

French police have attacked protesters, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of demonstrators, who took to the streets for a fourth round of protests against President Emanuel Macron's planned pension reform.

At least 10 protesters were arrested on Saturday's demonstrations, as over 960,000 people marched in Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, according to the Interior Ministry. However, local authorities estimate the number over 2.5 million.

This is while in the French capital, authorities counted some 93,000 participants, the most to demonstrate in Paris against the pension changes since the protests started last month.

Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, wrote Friday on Twitter that 10,000 police officers will ensure security during the protests, including 4,500 in Paris.

Saturday’s protests featured flashes of unrest. An officer was injured in the eye, the Paris Police Prefecture said, while one car and several trash bins were set on fire on a central Parisian street as police charged the crowd and dispersed protesters with tear gas.

The weekend demonstrations drew young people and others opposed to the pension proposals who weren’t able to attend the previous three days of action, all held on weekdays.

“It is out of question to work longer, to create the conditions for decreasing pensions, to create the conditions that would lead to my children's not finding work, because if seniors work longer, they will block job positions. Everything is phony and bad in this reform,” a delegate representing secondary education teachers said.

Unions have warned that they are ready to “put France on hold” in the coming weeks if their demands are not met by the government. Strikes and protests were expected nationwide, with disruption to public transport, healthcare, and education, among other sectors.

Air traffic controllers in Paris' Orly Airport went on an unscheduled strike on Saturday, causing half of the flights at the airport canceled.

ME