French unions hail massive turnout for protests against pension reform

Demonstrators gather in Place de la Republique during a rally in Paris on January 19, 2023, as workers go on strike over the French President's plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD

More than one million people took to the streets in France on Thursday to demand the withdrawal of the government’s plan to reform pension payments. The widespread strike crippled public transport, closed schools and slowed the energy sector.

In Paris, the hardline CGT union said some 400,000 demonstrators marched through the streets.