France: Largest protests in recent years taking place

Thousands of people are marching in the streets of Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and other French cities Thursday, as

more than 30 unions launched a massive workers' strike that'ss meant to shut down the country and forced President Emmanuel Macron to reevaluate his plans for pension reform, Report informs citing Interfax.

Over 800,000 people took part in demonstrations in

more than 100 cities in France.

“This is a very strong mobilization in both the public and private sectors,” said Philippe Martinez, the secretary general of France's General Confederation of Labor.

Either way, the action was far bigger than any of the “yellow vest” protests of the past

year, which peaked at 282,000 nationally.