Hundreds of thousands of French workers on Thursday rallied in a new show of rage against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, with protests turning violent in Paris and other cities in a battle that shows no sign of abating. More than 149 police and gendarmes were injured and 172 people arrested, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Thursday evening. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time [GMT+1].
10:22pm: French interior minister Darmanin slams violence from 'far-left thugs'
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Thursday slammed what he called violence from "thugs" on the "far left" that broke out on the sidelines of protests against pension reform.
He said that "1,500 rioters" had attended the Paris rallies to "break cops and public buildings".
To date, he said that 172 people had been arrested in France, including 77 in Paris, some of them for "attacks on persons in charge of public authority" or "fires", he added.
9:31pm: Violent protests ‘not what unions wanted’, but blame may fall on government
Calls by union leaders for non-violent protests to keep public opinion onside were ignored by a number of demonstrators throughout France who clashed with police and lit fires in major cities.
“Images of tear gas, violence and fires was not what the unions wanted,” said FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman, “but, that being said, according to a poll that came out today … 70% of those asked are blaming the violence on the government.”
9:13pm: Violence at protests ‘unacceptable’ says Prime Minister Borne
France’s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has said that the violence and damage seen at protests on Thursday was "unacceptable".
She added that she was grateful to police and other emergency services.
Manifester et faire entendre des désaccords est un droit.
Les violences et dégradations auxquelles nous avons assisté aujourd’hui sont inacceptables.
Toute ma reconnaissance aux forces de l’ordre et de secours mobilisées.
9:01pm: Fire blazes at entrance to Bordeaux City Hall
Social media videos from local news outlet Rue 89 Bordeaux shows a fire blazing at the entrance to Bordeaux City Hall on Thursday night after a day of protests in the city, followed by firemen arriving to tackle the blaze.
Huge French pension reform protests give way to fiery overnight clashes
By Aurore Laborie, Dalal Mawad, Helen Regan, CNN March 24, 2023
ParisCNN —
More than a million people took to the streets across France on Thursday with protests turning violent in some areas as demonstrators voiced their fury at proposed pension reforms.
Clashes between groups of protesters and police broke out after workers staged a national strike throughout Thursday, with flare-ups in Paris and regional capitals.
French police said around 1,000 people acted “violently,” setting fires, launching smoke bombs and damaging property. In the southwestern city of Bordeaux, protesters set fire to the entrance of the city hall during ongoing clashes with police, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
Police fired tear gas at crowds in northwestern Lorient, while video from Rennes shows authorities using water cannons to disperse protesters.
At least 80 people were arrested and 123 police officers injured in France on Thursday during the nationwide protests, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
Thursday was the ninth day of strikes in the country and the first of coordinated action since French President Emmanuel Macron’s government pushed a bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote last week.
The mostly peaceful day of strike action – which saw 119,000 people march in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry – disrupted transport networks, oil refineries and schools.
It also affected air traffic, with 30% of flights impacted at Paris Orly airport.
Unionized workers blockaded a major oil refinery in Normandy and another one in Fos-sur-Mer in the south of the country, according to a government spokesperson. And earlier in the day, about 70 protesters blocked terminal one at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, an airport spokesperson told CNN.
Ahead of the strike, French authorities had mobilized 12,000 police officers throughout the country, including 5,000 in Paris.
