France Gripped by Strikes, Protests against Pension Reform

More than a million people marched in France on Thursday to protest pension reforms, with some demonstrators clashing with police in Paris, as strikes disrupted public transport, schools and much of the civil service.

The interior ministry put the total number of protesters marching against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to extend the retirement age at 1.2 million, including 80,000 in Paris, reports AFP.

The hard-left CGT union said there had been more than two million people at protests across France, and 400,000 in the capital alone.

Another day of action is planned for January 31.

Around the Bastille area of Paris, some demonstrators hurled bottles, bins and smoke grenades at police who responded with tear gas and charged to disperse the troublemakers, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

As the march wound down in the evening, groups of young protesters also clashed with security forces at the vast Nation plaza in eastern Paris, setting fire to several bicycles and smashing bus stops.

Police said 44 people were arrested on weapons or violence charges, mostly from among the radical "Black Blocs" group, who wore masks, helmets and black clothes. Officers managed to split off the group, who numbered around a thousand, from the main demonstration, said police.

Seventeen people were also arrested in Lyon, where 23,000 people protested, according to authorities.

The pensions plan, presented by Macron's government last week, would raise the retirement age for most from 62 -- among the lowest in the EU -- to 64 and would increase the years of contributions required for a full pension.