Fresh clashes have erupted in France between protesters and police as tens of thousands took to the streets to show their anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform that has sparked a major domestic crisis.

Tuesday’s nationwide protests and strikes called by unions is the tenth since mid-January against the law, which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The movement has turned into a major challenge to Macron who won a second term in elections last year and presents the biggest crisis of his second mandate.

Some 13,000 police deployed nationwide after last Thursday saw the most violent clashes yet between protesters and security forces.

French police have been accused of using excessive force — both by protesters and rights bodies — and this has further fueled the anger of demonstrators.

In eastern Paris, police fired tear gas and launched a charge after some protesters, dressed in black with their faces covered, raided a grocery store and started a fire as the march closed in on Place de la Nation.

Police said at least 27 people were arrested in the capital by the afternoon.

Source: AFP