Hundreds of thousands took part in anti-austerity protests across France on Thursday (September 18), unions said, urging President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to acknowledge their anger and scrap looming budget cuts, Reuters reports.
Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists and hospital staff were among those who went on strike as part of the day of protests, while teenagers blocked dozens of high schools for hours.
Protesters called for the previous government's fiscal plans to be scrapped, for more spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and for the reversal of an unpopular change making people work longer to get a pension.
In Paris, police at one point threw tear gas to disperse black-clad troublemakers who threw a few projectiles at them ahead of the rally, allowing the protest march to carry on. Police said they also stepped in to stop people targeting a bank.
There were also brief clashes on the margins of some of the protests including in Nantes, with police firing tear gas, and in Lyon, where French media said three people were injured.
More than 140 people have been arrested so far, the interior ministry said. Some 80,000 police and gendarmes were set to be deployed throughout the day, including riot units, drones and armoured vehicles.
