Protesters march in France over pension reforms
STORY: Macron wants to raise the retirement age by two years to keep the pension system out of the red. He has offered a guaranteed minimum pension of 1,200 euros ($1,300) per month after working a complete full-time career.
The reforms will raise the retirement age to 64 from 62 and the number of years workers must pay in from 42 to 43 to receive a full pension.
Other leftist parties such as the New Anti-capitalist Party and the Generation also joined Saturday's protest, which followed a nationwide strike and protest on Thursday (January 19), which saw more than 1 million people march in cities across France, and shut down fuel depots, schools and some public transport.
The reform still needs to go through parliament, where Macron has lost his absolute majority but is hoping to get it passed with the support of conservatives.
Trade unions have called for a new day of nationwide protests on Jan. 31, but the government has shown no sign of backing down.
French protester Sadia Lakel said, "I think I will be crushed by the train before it reaches the end. But as long as I'm still standing, as long as I'm breathing, I would stand to fight so that people won't spend their lives at work, so that we can enjoy our families, our children, our hobbies, our friends. If not, it's not a life. We're not only here to work."
