UPDATE 2 – Tensions rise in Paris protests on Labor Day, police arrest 50 people

UPDATE 2 – Tensions rise in Paris protests on Labor Day, police arrest 50 people

Workers, trade unions in France take to streets on International Workers' Day to protest government's pension reform

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Tensions rose Monday in Paris and other cities of France during protests on Labor Day.

Workers and trade unions in France took to the streets on International Workers' Day to protest the government's pension reform.

Workers' outrage over the government's pension reform has not subsided since January, with trade unions vowing to hold another day of mass mobilization on Labor Day across France.

People early in the morning have started to gather in the cities of Nantes, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg, and a rally began in the afternoon in Paris, French daily Le Figaro reported.

Police arrested 50 people before and during the march in Paris, and used tear gas on protesters, the daily also said.

Tensions rose between police and protesters in Nantes and Paris rallies, and police officers also started to beat protesters in the capital, according to local media.

Shops' windows were broken, street furniture was vandalized, and dumpsters were set on fire, and at least one police officer was injured, according to an Anadolu correspondent on the ground.

The General Confederation of Labor counted 550,000 protesters in Paris, local broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Earlier Le Figaro said the French Interior Ministry would deploy 12,000 policemen across the country, including 5,000 in Paris, as authorities expected up to 650,000 protesters in 380 rallies in a single day.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also expressed support for the use of drones for surveillance in a text message sent to local authorities, the daily reported.

Meanwhile, traffic on the state-owned railway company SNCF appears to be normal, though flights have been canceled due to the workers' decision to a strike action on Monday.

A third of the flights were canceled at Paris-Orly, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Toulouse airports, while 25% were canceled at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Nice airports.


- 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.​​​​​​​


*Umit Donmez in Paris contributed to this story

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