Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris on Saturday evening, March 18, to protest against the pension reform. According to Reuters, the protests escalated into clashes with police, who used tear gas. 81 people were arrested.
A day earlier, on March 17, 61 people were arrested during the protests. After that, the municipal authorities banned rallies in the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees. Public utilities joined the protest, and garbage was no longer taken out of the streets of Paris.
Demonstrations against the reform were also held in the cities of Compiègne, Nantes, Marseille and Bordeaux. French trade unions said they would continue to organize protests. A nationwide strike is scheduled for Thursday, March 23.
On March 16, the French government passed a law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The law was passed without a vote in Parliament, in accordance with Article 49.3 of the French Constitution.