French police detain 13 people ahead of strike against pension reform

Bordeaux [France], Dec 08 (Sputnik/ANI): The French police have detained 13 people ahead of a strike against widely unpopular pension reform in the city of Bordeaux, the French BFMTV broadcaster said on Saturday, citing a police source.
According to the broadcaster, the detainees had Molotov cocktails, shells rigged with nails, as well as containers with acid that were to be used during the strike.
In addition, BFMTV reported that over 1,500 people participated in manifestations in the city of Marseille, demanding that the pension reform be renounced. At the same time, rallies in the city of Nantes involved about 2,800 people and were featured by clashes with law enforcement officers.
The broadcaster also added that first clashes between the protesters and police officers erupted near Catalonia Square in Paris, where the police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
The strike against President Emmanuel Macron's proposed pension reform, which started on Thursday, is expected to last through Sunday. Specifically, the government is planning to replace a generous pension system with a points-based scheme, a decision that has angered train workers, teachers, police and other public service employees.
According to the country's Interior Ministry, over 800,000 people took to the streets on the first day alone. (Sputnik/ANI)