According to the CGT, more than 250,000 people took part in nearly 200 rallies across the country. The Interior Ministry spoke of 118,500 demonstrators at 179 meetings.
According to the organizers, around 40,000 people took to the streets in the capital Paris alone. The police spoke of 13,500 participants.
According to the Ministry of Education, about eleven percent of the teaching staff took part in the strike. Domestic train services were restricted, with some suburban trains and buses running less than usual in Paris. The left-wing populist ex-presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon also took part in the demonstration in Marseille.
The government camp had agreed the night before to extend the consultations with the social partners and to submit a legislative proposal by winter. The new law is expected to come into force next summer. There is talk of raising the retirement age every four months per year, so that the retirement age of 65 would be reached in 2031. Currently, the retirement age is 62 years.
