Our live coverage has ended, but scroll through the posts to read more about the strikes.
A 52-year-old metro driver, who went by the name of Robert, told CNN that it’s “not a pleasure” to be protesting on Thursday because he’s “losing money,” but said it was an important message to be part of.
Here are a couple of pictures after the sun set in Paris:
Protesters in Paris are moving in droves towards Place de la Nation – which lies on the eastern side of the French capital.
As of 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET), police had detained 87 people for questioning.
CNN Correspondent Melissa Bell is live in Paris. Watch the stream below to follow what’s going on and find out more about why tens of thousands of workers across France are on the streets to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to overhaul the pension system:
Protesters in Paris are now at Place de la République. Eventually, their plan is to move down Boulevard Voltaire towards Place de la Nation.
Currently they’re gathered around the statue in the center of the square – which is of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic.
“We’ll be here until the end of the night,” one protester, who went by the name of Charles, told CNN.
Violence has started to break out at Place de la République in Paris, as black-clad protesters began setting objects on fire and throwing bricks.
Police responded by firing tear gas towards demonstrators and blocking streets.
Here are some pictures from the scene:
French police have deployed tear gas near Paris’ Place de la Republique in a bid to disperse demonstrators.
It comes after radical protestors, clad in black, set trash cans on fire and hurled objects at riot police. Chants of “Macron, resign!” echoed along Boulevard de Magenta.
A trailer was also set ablaze and CNN witnessed a protester climb a gate and destroy a security camera.
As of 3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. ET), police had detained 71 people for questioning and carried out 9,350 preventative checks.
The Paris Police Prefecture has ordered all business owners – including premises serving alcoholic beverages and restaurants located on Boulevard de Denain, Boulevard de Magenta, Place de la Republique, Boulevard Voltaire and Place de la Nation – to shutter until the conclusion of the protests on Thursday.
Officials also reminded owners that the protection of their businesses from damage or theft falls to them.
Paris’ famed boulevards continue to fill with people but it isn’t the only French city where mass demonstrations are taking place today.
Marseille
Rennes
Bayonne
Lyon
Demonstrations are taking place in several French cities Thursday but they are not throwing the French President off.
Emmanuel Macron is “calm and determined” in the face of the strikes and mass protests, according to a spokeswoman with the Elysee Palace.
As of 2 p.m. (8 a.m. ET), police had detained 65 people for questioning and carried out 6,476 preventative checks in Paris.
CNN’s Melissa Bell describes the atmosphere at the Paris march as “enthusiastic” and “electric.”
The CGT trade union earlier announced that Paris transport operator RATP will prolong its strike until Monday, severely impacting transport in the capital.
Another protester on the Parisian streets today is 28-year-old Jordan Saulay.
He tells CNN he thinks that “the system goes against our interests.”
“A lot of things are not working in our country anymore,” the unemployed yellow vest demonstrator adds. “We’re going to get our taxes back. We’ve been here for 55 weekends and we’ll be here for the next 55 if needed.”
Saulay continued, “We must not let go or it will be useless. We’ve already been wounded (and) gassed, but we’re still doing it.”
CNN’s Melissa Bell is out among the protesters near Paris’ Gare du Nord. She reports that “this is one of those strikes that can be rolled over, day after day.”
“So there are fears if the momentum is right, it could cause much more chaos than simply today,” Bell adds.
The CGT trade union announced on Thursday afternoon that Paris transport operator RATP will prolong its strike until Monday, severely impacting transport in the capital.
Demonstrations in Paris are getting underway now. Large crowds gathered ahead of the march officially kicking off around 2 p.m. (8 a.m. ET).
Adrien Caron, a 31-year-old plumber, told CNN he came out to demonstrate because of the pension reforms Macron has proposed.
He said the protesters “want to show that we’re here and we don’t want to let it happen.”
Caron continued: “The president looks like he’s not hearing us. The elders did it why not us. It’s a pain in the a**, I’m losing a salary too. But it has to be done. If no one takes to the streets, we’re gonna get screwed. I can’t say I didn’t do anything.”
Shops and banks near the Gard du Nord train station in the French capital have prepared for Thursday’s protests by covering their windows with wooden boards.
Demonstrators faced police in a tense stand-off in Lyon on Thursday as protests against French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform took place across France.
Pictures from the scene showed police using tear gas and shields to push back the protestors.
Over 200 demonstrations are planned across the country.
In Paris 6,000 police officers have been deployed, and authorities have issued a decree forbidding the protestors from gathering on the Champs-Élysées or at police stations.
By noon (6 a.m. ET), police had detained 18 people for questioning and carried out 3,119 preventative checks in the French capital.
France’s government has released a public service announcement addressing Thursday’s nationwide strikes.
Sharing a link to an official page telling the public how to monitor the protests, the government tweeted: “Stay careful during demonstrations, your safety is our priority.”
French officials have taken the decision to shut the Eiffel Tower Thursday in preparation for nationwide strikes over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
The landmark does not “have sufficient staff to open the monument,” according to a press release.
France’s strikes are expected to bring lots of travel disruption to the country on Thursday with 90% of trains and 20% of domestic flights canceled.
In Paris, 11 of the 16 metro lines will be completely closed, and the Eurostar expects only half of its trains to be running on Thursday and Friday.
The last time France reached for a universal pension system, Jacques Chirac was President, Alain Juppe was his prime minister and, like today, a wave of freezing cold weather had descended on the country.
After 2 million people took to the streets and nearly three weeks of near total paralysis, the pension reform was dropped. It hadn’t been attempted since. Until now.
President Emmanuel Macron has announced reforms that would put an end to the 42 retirement schemes currently in place in France.
His proposal: Schemes, which include special provisions for certain professions, like rail workers and train drivers who benefit from early retirement, would be unified into a single points-based system that would give all workers the same rights.
What’s driving concern? Many fear that under Macron’s new universal retirement system, they will have to work longer for less, even though the official retirement age in France is 62 – one of the lowest among the 36 countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
What to expect Thursday: Ambulance drivers, teachers, police unions, postal workers, hospital workers are expected to join the strike. And for the first time, yellow vests will be joining the unions in their protests.
In Paris alone, 300 of the capital’s 652 primary schools will be closed because of the strike action. And 6,000 police officers will be deployed in Paris for rallies across the city, with protests on the Champs Elysees, Matignon and police stations forbidden.
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