The French intensify protests against growing retirement age

Eight large unions are participating in the strike, thus cutting off school work, public transportation and oil refinerys.

Marches are taking place throughout France, including hundreds of thousands of people, as the first day of action attracted more than one million people.

Some cities have seen crowds larger than on January 19.

The Macron government is moving ahead with pension age reforms in the face of opinion polls suggesting that two-thirds of voters oppose the changes, which begin their transition to the National Assembly next week, writes the BBC,ches Kankosova. tv

Without a majority in parliament, the government will have to rely on right-wing republics for support as much as MPs from the ruling parties.

Hours before the start of the main protest in Place d'Italia in downtown Paris, thousands of hikers took to Toulouse, Marseille, and Nice in the south, and Saint Naztaire, Nantes, and Rennes in the west.

It is reported that 11,000 police officers were deployed to cover demonstrations that were taking place in about 200 towns.