France faces another day of transport chaos as strike over pension reforms continues

Police fire tear gas as demonstrations halt trains, ground flights and shut down Eiffel Tower

Protest against pension reform presents biggest challenge to Macron since eruption of yellow vest movement

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A demonstrator raises a fist while protesting during a national strike in Paris on Thursday. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:38am, 6 Dec 2019Updated: 8:48pm, 6 Dec 2019

France faced a second day of travel chaos and understaffed schools and hospitals on Friday as unions said there would be no let-up in a strike against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms until the president backed down.

Much of France ground to a halt on Thursday as transport workers went on strike – joined by teachers, doctors, police, firefighters and civil servants. Smoke and tear gas swirled through the streets of Paris and Nantes as protests turned violent. Paris police fired tear gas at demonstrators as the Eiffel Tower shut down.

At least 90 people were arrested in Paris by evening as the protests wound down. Police said 65,000 people took to the streets of the French capital, and over 800,000 nationwide.

There were cancellations of rush-hour trains into Paris on Friday and 10 out of 16 metro lines were closed while others ran limited services. As commuters took to their cars, traffic jams totalling 350km clogged the roads in and around the capital, according to traffic app Styadin.

A protester wearing a mask is seen as French Labour union members demonstrate against pension reform plans in Marseille on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Rail workers extended their strike through Friday, while unions at the Paris bus and metro operator RATP said their walkout would continue until Monday.