1.27 million people joined protests over French pension reforms, say officials

Protesters walk through flares smoke at the end of the demonstration against plans to push back France’s retirement age in Paris (Thibault Camus/AP)

An estimated 1.27 million people took to the streets of French cities, towns and villages on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry, in new massive protests against the government’s key pension reform plans.

The turnout exceeded participation in a previous round of strikes and protests against the proposed retirement age increase, in a significant victory for labour unions.