Strikes grip France for sixth day

Protests gripped France again on Tuesday as 3.5 million people marched against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reform, which would raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 by 2018. This marks the sixth day of national action since early September. The chaos in France’s streets has been accompanied by strikes in the transport and education sectors. Thousands of gas stations have run dry, as a strike at France’s oil refineries went into a seventh day. Meanwhile, protesters have seen their share of violence. A middle school in the city of Le Mans burned down overnight and police suspect arson. Shops were looted in Lyon, and cars were set on fire in a Paris suburb. There have been clashes between police and protesting youths in a number of cities, and several police officers and a news photographer were injured in the skirmishes. A strike of railway workers also hit day seven, so about one-half of all scheduled trains were not operating.

Toronto Star