Europe 1 with AFP 20:11 p.m., March 23, 2023

The Interior Ministry says 1.089 million people demonstrated across France against the pension reform. They were nearly 3.5 million according to the CGT. The parades took place in more than 300 cities and sometimes degenerated as in Paris where clashes broke out on the Place de l'Opéra.

Between 1.089 million demonstrators (Interior) and 3.5 million (CGT) marched in more than 300 cities on Thursday against the pension reform and the use of 49.3 to pass it. A "renewed mobilization" welcomed by the secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, who had called at midday "for non-violence", in order to "keep opinion until the end". At his side, his counterpart of the CGT Philippe Martinez said that Emmanuel Macron had "thrown a can of gasoline on the fire" with his interview, recalling that the unions had written to the head of state to alert him to the "explosive situation" of the country.

"About a thousand" radical elements in the capital

In Paris, where participation reached new records, both according to the CGT (800,000) and Beauvau (119,000), violence quickly broke out at the head of the procession: cobblestones, bottles and fireworks thrown at the police, broken windows and bus shelters and garbage can fires. The police headquarters, which has identified "about a thousand" radical elements in the capital, reported 26 arrests at 18:00.

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In Nantes and Rennes too, clashes opposed demonstrators to the police, who used tear gas and water cannon. In Lorient in Morbihan, the police station was targeted. More or less strong tensions were also noted in Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux or Dijon. Incidents immediately denounced by the right, like the president of the Republicans Eric Ciotti denouncing "thugs (who) want terror". According to a police source, at 19:00, more than a hundred police officers were injured in France, not counting Paris.