Police arrest 540 during Labor Day protests in France, says minister

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Police have arrested 540 people during International Labor Day rallies in France, the interior minister said on Tuesday, adding that more than 400 law enforcers were also injured in sporadic clashes with protesters.

Workers and trade unions in France took to the streets again on Monday to protest the government's pension reform, which has outraged them since January.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told broadcaster BFMTV that 540 people were arrested during the rally in Paris, while 406 policemen were also injured during clashes with protesters.

Demonstrations begin early in the morning in the cities of Nantes, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg, while a major rally took place in the afternoon in Paris, French daily Le Figaro reported.

Tensions rose between police and protesters in the Paris rally, and police officers used tear gas and beat protesters in the capital and other cities as well, media reports said.

During the clashes, windows of several shops were smashed, street furniture was vandalized, and dumpsters were set on fire, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, trade unions announced on Tuesday another mass mobilization day for June 6, BFMTV reported.

- Pension reform law​​​​​​​

President Emmanuel Macron signed the pension reform into law late on April 14 after the Constitutional Council completed its review, despite demands from trade unions to drop the measure that has triggered weeks of protests.

The law will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of service to be eligible for a full pension.

The government unveiled the proposal in January and it was taken up for a parliamentary debate the following month even as millions took to the streets to oppose it.

Unrest intensified when Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, after consulting with Macron, decided to use special constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary approval in March.

The decision was motivated by concerns that lawmakers would be able to stymie the reforms because the government lacked an absolute majority in parliament.

The law is set to go into effect on Sept. 1.