Laurent Berger
It started: Shop windows broken, tear gas thrown; Millions took to the streets? VIDEO
As the unions reported, a million people are expected on the streets in French cities.
Workers staged protest marches across France today, May 1, International Labor Day, unhappy that President Emmanuel Macron raised the retirement age and police fired tear gas in Paris and Nantes in the west of the country.
Violence, chaos and fear on the streets of France: Conflicts are not abating VIDEO
Clashes broke out in Paris next to a Left Bank pub favored by French President Emmanuel Macron, Reuters reported.
The awning of the Caf de la Rotonde was briefly set on fire.
France prepares for more Strikes: Failure of Negotiations on the Pension Reform
France is bracing for a new round of nationwide protests and strikes on Thursday after a meeting between the prime minister and unions failed to break the deadlock over a deeply unpopular pension reform bill, Reuters reported.
French PM says pension age hike ‘non-negotiable’ as strikes loom
France's prime minister has ruled out backtracking on a plan to raise the retirement age as unions prepared for another day of mass protests and strikes against the contested reform.
An increase in the minimum retirement age to 64 from the current 62 is part of a flagship reform package pushed by President Emmanuel Macron to ensure the future financing of France's pensions system.