Police were out in force across France on Saturday as protesters held a sometimes restive fourth round of nationwide demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to change the country's pension system. Over 960,000 people marched in Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, according to the Interior Ministry. Protesters hoped to keep up the pressure on the government to back down, and further action is planned for Feb. 16. In the French capital, authorities counted some 93,000 participants, the AP reports, the most to demonstrate in Paris against the pension changes since the protests started last month.
The weekend demonstrations drew young people and others opposed to the pension proposals who weren't able to attend the previous three days of action, all held on weekdays. This time, though, rail worker strikes did not accompany the demonstrations, allowing trains and the Paris Metro to run Saturday. However, an unexpected strike by air traffic controllers meant that up to half of flights to and from Paris’ second largest airport, Orly, were canceled Saturday afternoon. "We often hear that we should be too young to care, but with rising inflation, soaring electricity prices, this reform will impact our families,” Elisa Haddad, 18. said. French lawmakers began a rowdy debate earlier this week on the pension bill to raise the minimum retirement age for a full state pension from 62 to 64.
Saturday's protests featured flashes of unrest. One car and several trash bins were set on fire on a central Parisian boulevard as police charged the crowd and dispersed protesters with tear gas. Paris police said officers they arrested eight people for infractions including possession of a firearm and vandalism. Some demonstrators walked as families through the French capital's Place de la Republique and carried emotional banners. "I don't want my parents to die at work," read one held by a teenage boy. Despite opinion polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and his own popularity shrinking, Macron insisted that he's keeping a campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017.
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