Police fire tear gas on protesters staging mass strike across France
French citizens angry over government plan to streamline country's 42 retirement systems
Paris police fired tear gas at demonstrators Thursday as the Eiffel Tower was shut down, France's high-speed trains stood still and tens of thousands marched nationwide in a strike over the government's plan to overhaul the retirement system.
At least 90 people were arrested in Paris by evening as the protests wound down.
Police said 65,000 people took to the streets of the French capital, and over 800,000 nationwide in the often-tense demonstrations aimed at forcing President Emmanuel Macron to abandon pension reform.
Unions launched the open-ended, nationwide walkout over President Emmanuel Macron's centrepiece reform in the biggest challenge to the centrist leader since the yellow vest movement against economic inequality erupted a year ago.
Opponents fear the changes to how and when workers can retire will threaten the hard-fought French way of life. Macron himself remained "calm and determined" to push it through, according to a top presidential official.
Small groups of masked activists smashed store windows, set fires and hurled flares on the sidelines of a Paris march that was otherwise peaceful. Demonstrators also shot firecrackers at police in body armour.
The Louvre closed some of its galleries, and the Palace of Versailles shut down. Subway stations across Paris closed their gates, high-speed TGV trains cancelled their runs and nearly 20 per cent of flights at Paris' Orly Airport were reported grounded.
Some travellers showed support for the striking workers, but others complained about being embroiled in someone else's fight.
"I arrived at the airport this morning and I had no idea about the strike happening, and I was waiting for 2 hours in the airport for the train to arrive and it didn't arrive," said vacationer Ian Crossen, from New York. "I feel a little bit frustrated. And I've spent a lot of money. I've spent money I didn't need to, apparently."
Beneath the Eiffel Tower, tourists from Thailand, Canada and Spain echoed those sentiments.
Paris authorities barricaded the presidential palace and deployed 6,000 police officers. Police ordered all businesses, cafes and restaurants in the area to close and detained 71 people before the demonstration even started.
Subway stations across Paris were shuttered, complicating traffic — and prompting many commuters to use shared bikes or electric scooters instead. Many workers in the Paris region worked from home or took a day off to stay with their children, since 78 per cent of teachers in the capital were on strike.
Yellow vest activists plan to join unions
Bracing for possible violence and damage along the route of the Paris march, police ordered all businesses, cafes and restaurants in the area to close. Authorities also issued a ban on protests on the Champs-Élysées avenue, around the presidential palace, parliament and Notre Dame Cathedral. Yellow vest activists plan to join unions at the protests in Paris and cities around the country, pressing their campaign for more economic justice.
The big question is how long the strike will last. Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne said she expects the travel troubles to be just as bad Friday.
Watch as police and protesters clash:
Unions say it's an indefinite movement and hope to keep up momentum at least for a week, in hopes of forcing the government to make concessions.
Public sector workers fear Macron's reform will force them to work longer and shrink their pensions. And they see this fight as crucial to saving France's social safety net.
"The five weeks of paid vacation, the state health care system — we got all that through social struggles from people who sacrificed themselves financially for us to get that," said rail worker Gilles Pierre, taking part in Thursday's march.
Pierre, who is 41 and according to the current system can retire at 52, acknowledges that the current system is generous, but argues that it's fair compensation for the constraints that go with jobs like his, like working on weekends and holidays.
"What do we want for our retirement years? To enjoy it or being a retiree in a hospital or in a bed and not being able to enjoy life?"
To Macron, the retirement reform is central to his plan to transform France so it can compete globally in the 21st century. The government argues France's 42 retirement systems need streamlining.
Many of the plans have different retirement ages and benefits. Macron says the system is unfair and too costly.
After extensive meetings with workers, the high commissioner for pensions is expected to detail reform proposals next week, and the prime minister will release the government's plan days after that.
With files from Reuters