Anger at Macron mounts as French unions up the ante
EU poised to endorse ammo purchases for Ukraine
Labour strikes upended travel in France on Thursday as French trade unions held their first mass demonstrations since President Emmanuel Macron inflamed public anger by forcing a higher retirement age through parliament without a vote.
Big crowds started marching in the major cities of Marseille, Lyon, and Nantes as more than 250 protests were organised across France. The Paris march was scheduled to start at 2 pm from the Bastille plaza.
Protesters blockaded train stations, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and refineries. High-speed and regional trains, the Paris metro and public transportation systems in other major cities were disrupted. About 30 per cent of flights at Paris Orly Airport were cancelled.
The Eiffel Tower and the Versailles Palace were closed Thursday due to the strikes.
Thursday's events were the ninth round of nationwide demonstrations and strikes called by France's eight main unions since January.
Violence has intensified in recent days at scattered protests against the pension reform and Macron's leadership.
The French leader is stubbornly resisting the discontent on the streets, and said on Wednesday that the government's bill to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 must be implemented by the end of the year.
Critics attacked Macron for the statement, describing him as "self-satisfied," "out of touch" and "offensive."
Violence has intensified in recent days at scattered protests against the pension reform and Macron's leadership, although the mass demonstrations started off in an orderly way.
Protesters staged road blockades on major highways —AFP and interchanges to slow traffic around big cities.
Train service was suspended in Marseille because protesters were stationed near the tracks.
At Paris' Gare de Lyon train station, several hundred unionists and strikers walked on the railway tracks to prevent trains from moving, brandishing flares and chanting "and we will go, and we will go until withdrawal" and "Macron, go away."
European Union leaders were poised on Thursday to endorse a plan for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia's invasion forces.
EU foreign and defense ministers approved the plan for a fast-track purchasing procedure earlier this week, and the leaders of the bloc's 27 member nations will give it their political blessing at a summit in Brussels, according to several senior EU diplomats.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked leaders for the initiative during a video call.
A diplomat with direct knowledge of the conversation said Zelensky spoke from a train as he visited besieged Ukrainian cities.
The diplomat, who could not be identified because discussions took place behind closed doors, said Zelensky has also asked leaders to deliver modern aircraft and long-range missiles to help Ukraine's resistance.