French protests against the government’s decision to push through pension reforms intensified last night (23 March), with more than a million people taking to the streets.

According to the interior ministry, 119,000 protestors turned out in Paris and over a million took to the streets nationwide.

While protests and strike action have been taking place for weeks, the government pushing through the reforms by invoking Article 49:3 saw the worst of the protests so far taking place.

Bordeaux town hall was set on fire amid the protests and approximately 80 people were arrested across the country.

It remains unclear who set the town hall in Bordeaux ablaze, but it was quickly extinguished by firefighters.

Despite the continued and intensifying protests, French President, Emmanuel Macron, has shown no sign if backing down.

After pushing the reforms through the National Assembly and surviving to no-confidence votes in his government, Macron appears to be defiant in his defence of his policy, describing it as a necessity.

Trade unions, which organised the nationwide strikes that took place yesterday (23 March), have called for further strike action and protests to take place on Tuesday (28 March).

The French and UK's governments have agreed to postpose King Charles III's visit to France, which was due to take place next week, in light of the escalating protests.

Protests have been occurring for weeks over the government’s plan to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64.

According to polls, around three-quarters of the French population are opposed to the raising of the retirement age.

Macron has described the reforms as essential to make the nation’s pension system more affordable, with the system forecast to run at a deficit in its current state.

The proposed pension age reform process is scheduled to start in September, reaching 63 years and three months by 2027 and hitting the target age of 64 in 2030.

Alongside the raising of the retirement age, several other proposals were presented as part of the reforms.

The amount of time working needed to receive a full pension will rise from 42 years to 43 and a guaranteed minimum pension income will be introduced.

This income level will be set at no less than 85 per cent of minimum wage for new retirees.

Public sector workers in mentally or physically demanding jobs will keep the right to retire earlier than the wider workforce, but their retirement age will rise at the same rate.

The government also announced that differing retirement ages and pension benefits for certain workforces, such as rail workers, would end.

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