Mass rallies, disruptions on day of anger

Planned austerity measures irk locals

- 

PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of people protested across France on Thursday over President Emmanuel Macron’s planned austerity policies, disrupting much of the country's public life.

Heeding a call from trade unions, protesters staged a day of actions that saw public transport stalled, schools closed and people taking to the streets for demonstrations marked by sporadic clashes with the police.

One trade union, the leftist CGT, said that more than a million people across France had taken part in the rallies — higher than the 900,000 it says turned out for a June 2023 protest against the lifting of the retirement age to 64 from 62.

French authorities, whose counts are usually substantially lower than those of unions, said more than 500,000 people had demonstrated in the country, including 55,000 in Paris.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said 309 people had been detained during the protests, with an alleged 7,300 “radicalised” protesters joining the demos. He added that 26 officers had been injured.