Paris police officers struck protesters with batons near the Bastille on Thursday, April 13, ahead of the anticipated ruling from France’s Constitutional Council on the validity of the recently passed pension reform.
Video from journalist Louis Pisano shows protesters firing fireworks at police and police charging and firing tear gas at protesters. An injured person is seen carried away by medics, and other demonstrators are shown chanting on the steps of the Paris Opera.
The footage further shows police in riot gear striking demonstrators with batons. Among the demonstrators is French National Assembly Deputy Antoine Leaument, seen wearing a tricolor sash.
Police said there were 42,000 demonstrators, according to French news outlet BFMTV, while the French labor union CGT said nearly ten times that number – 400,000 – took part.
At least 80 people were arrested and 76 police officers were injured, BFMTV reported.
The heated scenes followed protests across France on Thursday, including a strike by workers who barricaded an oil refinery in Feyzin.
Protests and strikes have been ongoing since the announcement of pension reforms, which include raising the age of retirement from 62 to 64. President Emmanuel Macron forced the senate-approved legislation through on March 16, without calling a vote in parliament.
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