French Pension Protests Bring Out 121,000 People Nationwide - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2020) The French Interior Ministry estimated that 121,000 people rallied across the country on Thursday to protest the pension reform, media said.

Some 15,000 packed the streets in Paris alone, according to official statistics seen by the French news channel LCI. Large crowds also gathered in Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nice.

The CGT trade union's estimate reportedly put attendance higher, at 130,000.

The controversial pension reform bill was passed to the parliament this week. It was confronted by the left-wing France Unbowed party, which lodged 19,000 amendments in an effort to stall the debate.

The government has been pushing through the legislation to streamline the patchwork pension system despite opposition from people from all walks of life, who have been protesting across France for two months.