Nearly 380,000 people take to the streets in France against the pension reform, according to Interior

13 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The French Ministry of the Interior announced this Thursday that nearly 380,000 demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest against the pension reform, a figure that has been raised by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) to 1.5 million.

The figures from the Ministry of the Interior show that this is the second day of mobilizations with less attendance since Saturday, March 11, when the French authorities counted 368,000 protesters throughout France.

In the capital, Paris, the CGT has counted nearly 400,000 demonstrators, while the Police Headquarters has estimated the number of people who have attended the Parisian marches, which have developed peacefully, at 42,000.

However, there have been some incidents throughout the day. The security forces have had to charge against the demonstrators in the Place de la Bastille, in the capital, and have launched tear gas to disperse the crowd.

For the moment, the French Police have arrested 38 people and at least 10 agents have been injured by projectiles such as cobblestones or stones in the marches in Paris, where there has been a presence of violent protesters, as reported by the newspaper ‘Le Parisien’.

In other parts of France, such as Nantes — where between 10,000 people have taken to the streets, according to the authorities, and 25,000, according to the unions — there have also been violent clashes with the Police. Protesters have fired fireworks and burned street furniture.

In Toulouse, the marches against the pension reform have concentrated 9,000 people, according to figures from the authorities, while the CGT has specified that some 70,000 demonstrators have taken to the streets. The marches have also been extended to Rennes or Clermont-Ferrand.