France police attack protesters in 4th round of rally against Macron's pension reforms

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

Nearly a million people marched in Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, according to the Interior Ministry. However, local authorities estimate the number at over 2.5 million.Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, wrote Friday on Twitter that 10,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security during the protests, including 4,500 in Paris.

The police charged the crowd and dispersed protesters with tear gas as the angry protesters set cars and trash bins on fire on a central Parisian street.

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.

French unions launch third wave of nationwide strikes over pension reform

Trade unions in France launch a third wave of nationwide strikes against President Emmanuel Macron

French lawmakers began a debate earlier this week on the pension bill to rise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. President Macron says the reform is “vital” to ensure the viability of the pension system and noted that workers in neighboring countries retire years later.

Pushing back the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would yield an additional 17.7 billion Euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to Labor Ministry estimates.

Unions say there are other ways to do this, such as taxing the super-rich or asking employers or well-off pensioners to contribute more.

Despite opinion polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and Macron’s own popularity shrinking, French president insisted that he is living up to a key campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017 and before his April 2022 reelection.

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