A nationwide strike brought much of France to a standstill on Thursday to protest the government’s planned overhaul of the pension system, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s most ambitious reforms.

The CGT union said 1.5 million people hit the streets nationwide in protest while the Interior Ministry put the number at 806,000.
The huge demonstrations across the country added to walkouts that paralyzed transport services and closed schools, with international high-speed rail disrupted and flights cancelled.
In the capital as well as in the southeastern city of Lyon and western city of Nantes police fired tear gas to disperse small groups of rioters but protests were mainly peaceful.