A mere 300,000 people participated in demonstrations in Paris on Tuesday according to the CGT union, the lowest since protests against the government's deeply unpopular pension reform started in January, while police put turnout at 31,000. Despite the low numbers, French unions remain determined in their fight againt raising France's retirement age. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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- French President Emmanuel Macron signed the pension reform legislation, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, into law in April after the government used a controversial but legal mechanism to avoid a vote in parliament on the bill.
- According to labour union CGT, some 300,000 people participated in demonstrations in Paris and 900,000 nationwide, the lowest figures recorded since January. Police figures meanwhile show numbers of 31,000 for Paris and 281,000 across the country.
- Around 11,000 security officials have been deployed, including 4,000 in the French capital. Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez on Monday night said he was expecting “rioters and black blocs” at the demonstrations, referring to people wearing all-black clothing, and police would “disperse them".
- The SNCF railway company is expected to be "very slightly disrupted", with "nine trains out of ten" running on average and "normal" traffic in the Paris region covered by the RATP métro network. A third of flights out of Paris-Orly airport have been cancelled.
- The government is aiming for the pension reform law to come into force on September 1, and is counting on the protests to subside.
7:07pm: Over 900,000 protesters demonstrated across France, says CGT
Some 900,000 protesters joined in on protests Tuesday across cities and towns in France according to French labour union CGT.
Police estimates show a much lower figure of 281,000.
5:35pm: Some 300,000 protesters in Paris according to labour union
France's hard-left labour union CGT on Tuesday reported a turnout of some 300,000 protesters in Paris, the lowest since anti-pension reform demonstrations started in January this year.
The police meanwhile released figures showing 31,000 protesters in Paris.
4:44pm: Ryanair cancels over 400 flights due to French strike
Low-cost airline Ryanair cancels over 400 flights after France's civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel a third of flights out of Paris-Orly, the capital's number two airport, due to a walk out by some air traffic control staff.
"Again today we've had to cancel some 400 flights ... because of French ATC strikes. The majority of these flights are overflights and not going to France," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary tweeted
3:39pm: Disneyland Paris cast members join strike
Disneyland Paris' staff member have joined in on the nationwide strike as they continue to demand better working conditions and higher wages.
2:25pm: Lower turnout not 'a reflection of waning opposition to this bill', unions say
Reporting from Place des Invalides in central Paris, FRANCE 24's Carys Garland says turnout for the 14th day of protests against pension reform is expected to be lower than on previous days.
Union members said that a potential dip in turnout is "not necessarily a reflection of waning opposition to this bill", Garland reports.
"They say they're here today for the colleagues that couldn't come. Many of them can't actually afford to take another day of strikes”.
1:38pm: Pension reform protesters briefly occupy Paris Olympics headquarters
French anti-pension reform protesters briefly occupied the headquarters of the Paris Summer 2024 Olympics Committee in northern Paris on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the games said.
Members of France's hard-left CGT trade union entered the building but left after a short time, a spokesperson for the Paris Summer Olympics told Reuters.
1:19pm: Power cuts hit media and IT companies in commercial district
Electricians on Tuesday cut power to a large area of Issy-les-Moulineaux, a commercial district south of Paris that is home to several media and IT companies, in protest against the government's pension reform law passed earlier this year.
The headquarters of Orange and FRANCE 24's parent company, France Médias Monde, which includes Radio France Internationale (RFI), were affected by the blackout, which occurred at around 10am Paris time.
8:16am: Bus network disrupted in Rennes due to blockade
The bus network in the northwestern city of Rennes and its surrounding metropolitan area was disrupted on Tuesday morning due to demonstrators opposed to pension reform who blocked fuel depots, said the network operator.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
