UPDATE - French Police Fire Tear Gas To Disperse Pension Reform Protesters In Paris

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2023) French police have cleared Place d'Italie in Paris of participants of the 14th nationwide protest against the pension reform, including by firing tear gas in some areas, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Tuesday.

The demonstration in Paris split into several columns following the vans of the eight leading French unions through different streets.

Several of them proceeded peacefully, but one had its protesters set fire to a construction van, which they pulled into the middle of the street, starting a fire and triggering clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

After the demonstration ended, some protesters occupied Place d'Italie in Paris. Some of them settled on lawns and some even climbed into a fountain on the square. About an hour later, law enforcement officers began dispersing people on the square, even though they were peaceful.

In some cases, the police began to rudely pull them away and even used tear gas.

The Paris Police Prefecture reported that 28 people had been detained during the demonstration.

About 281,000 people took to the streets across France to protest the government's pension reform, French broadcaster BFMTV reported, citing the interior ministry. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union's estimate is 900,000 participants.

On April 14, the French Constitutional Council approved the key article of the controversial pension reform bill that will gradually raise the age of retirement in France from 62 to 64 years by 2030. The reform sparked a strong backlash, prompting people to take to the streets across the country. Over a dozen of nationwide demonstrations against the reform have taken place already, with several protests organized by unions attracting over 1 million supporters across France.