French authorities have confirmed 76,000 people descended on the French capital on day 13 of widespread anti-Government protests. Protesters dressed in black, some with scarves and masks, hurled missiles at police, smashed advertising holdings and cut the power supply to thousands of homes and public offices, in demonstrations across France. Shocking images show armed police charging towards demonstrators in central Paris’s Place de la Nation.
In some ugly scenes officers could be seen hurling tear gas and throwing stun grenades to try and dispense the crowds.
Images from the scene in Paris show bellows of smoke and flares have engulf the streets as hundreds more activists join the demonstrations.
Hospital workers in scrubs, Air France staff in uniforms and lawyers wearing long black robes joined people from across the French workforce in the demonstrations.
The demonstration continued outside of the capital and workers from the hard-left CGT union carried out what they called “targeted” blackouts on electricity networks around Lyon and Bordeaux.
Mass protests and strike action has continue for almost two weeks over Government plans to increase the retirement age to 64.
The education ministry said 25 percent of primary school teachers in state schools were out on strike, and 23.3 percent of secondary school teachers.
The state railway operator SNCF said a third of all railway workers were also on strike, while the figure among train drivers was 75.8 percent.
Despite the widespread protests, which has seen crippling train and subway strikes the French President has shown no signs of caving in on his reforms.
Mr Macron has made the decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64-year-old to keep France in line with other major European nations and the growing life expectancy.
Prime minister Edouard Philippe declared his “total” determination to reshape a pension system.
Mr Philippe confirmed new negotiations with unions will start on Wednesday, but showed no sign of backing down.
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Unions argue this amounts to an attack on hard-earned benefits.
Mr Macron’s presidency has been rocked by a series of longstanding violent protests including the yellow vest ‘Gilets Jaunes’ protests which sparked months of protests at the end of last year.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets over Mr Macron’s plans to hike fuel tax and the high cost of living – something the French President was later forced to back down on.