Over half a million march as France paralysed by strike

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 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 paralysed 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 teargas to disperse small groups of rioters but protests were mainly peaceful.

Macron's government has yet to set out its reform proposals in full, but is pushing for a single plan to replace 42 special pension schemes.

Striking transport workers, air traffic controllers, teachers, fire fighters, lawyers and other groups all fear they will have to work longer or receive reduced pensions under the plans.

"We haven't seen such a turnout in a very long time," said Yves Veyrier, head of the Force Ouvriere union at the beginning of the Paris rally.

"We now expect the government to take the measure of this mobilisation, and understand that its universal system is a bad idea," he said.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe praised trade unions for keeping the protests on a tight rein, minimising the violence.

The disturbances looked set to continue for days, sorely testing Macron's determination to implement a key campaign promise.

The national railway company SNCF cancelled 90 percent of high-speed trains on Friday and warned of "very severe disruptions" for the Eurostar and Thalys trains serving London and Brussels.