2.5 Million French Protest Against Pension Reform

Over the weekend, millions of French people took to the streets of the cities again to protest against President Emmanuel Macron and his pension reform.

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However, in an attempt to downplay the social discontent, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday that only about 963,000 people across the country had protested against the bill.

As for the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's largest union, the number of Saturday's general mobilization topped 2.5 million, against some 2 million on Tuesday.

Previously, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne laid out details of the plan, which would progressively raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030. Starting in 2027, the plan would also require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

Though certain regions of France have entered winter school holidays, the number of demonstrators rose in many cities.

In downtowin Paris alone, the Police Prefecture acknowledged 93,000 people marching in the streets. At least ten people have been arrested, while a gendarme is injured in the eye.

Main unions in France also jointly called on workers to "bring France to a halt in all sectors on March 7" if the government and the parliament refuse to hear the population's contestation.

They threatened to organize actions "to highlight the major social injustice of this reform against women" on March 8, the International Women's Day.

Air traffic controllers in Paris' Orly Airport went on an unscheduled strike on Saturday, causing half of the flights at the airport canceled.

The French Directorate General for Civil Aviation noted that it had not received any notice or call for a strike. "Minimum service provisions have not been activated", it said.