Violent protests rock Paris again amid pension reform: ‘We are not going to stop’ – National

Dozens of protesters were arrested and police officers were injured Friday during a second night of violent clashes in Paris over French President Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to impose an increase to the country’s retirement age without a vote in the National Assembly.

Several thousands people gathered at the Place de Concorde around a large bonfire as demonstrators kept up their pressure on Macron’s government, which is set to face motions of no-confidence on Monday. Chants of “Macron, resign” could be heard in the crowd.

As they did on Thursday night, riot police charged into the crowd and threw tear gas to empty the huge square across from the National Assembly. Some protesters grabbed wooden planks from a nearby renovation site to arm themselves, hurling fireworks and stones at police.

At least five officers were hurt in the melee, France Info and other local media outlets reported, and between 60 and 70 protesters were taken into custody.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told radio station RTL that 310 people were arrested the night before, most of them in Paris.

Friday night saw small groups break off from the main gathering and set street fires in nearby neighbourhoods.

As Saturday dawned, those streets and the Place de Concorde had largely returned to calm.

Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, from a march in Bordeaux to a rally in Toulouse.

Trade unions organizing the opposition urged demonstrators to remain peaceful during more strikes and marches in the days ahead. They have called on people to leave schools,…