According to the unions, 400,000 people have moved to Paris. Police put it at 57,000. At the end of March the police numbered 93,000 and the trade unions 450,000.
More than three hundred people invaded the La Rotonde restaurant, where President Emmanuel Macron celebrated an electoral victory in 2017. There was a fire for a moment. Protesters also briefly entered the office of top US asset manager BlackRock in the capital. Roads and universities have also been blocked, as has access to part of Charles de Gaulle airport.
Riots
Clashes broke out in Paris, Lyon and Nantes, among others. According to French media, protesters and at least four police officers were injured in the capital. Twenty arrests had been made by late afternoon. Shops were damaged in Lyon and police fired tear gas in Nantes. More than twenty people were arrested there. In Lyon, nine officers were injured and nine arrests were reported.
People also took to the streets in cities such as Bordeaux, Rennes, Brest, Nice, Marseille, Perpignan and Clermont-Ferrand, but generally less than the previous big day of protest in late March. Authorities were expecting up to 800,000 protesters across the country. They protest against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Unsuccessful conversations
The day before, the government and the unions had argued to no avail about the measures the government believes should make the pension system accessible again. The so-called Constitutional Council can still (partially) cancel the reform.
Since the law was passed by Macron in mid-March, more than 1,850 arrests have been made during the riots, according to the government.