News - Middle East: French workers have gone on strike and joined nationwide marches on a day of protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s very unpopular pensions reform plan.

Train drivers, teachers and refinery workers were among those who walked off their jobs in Paris and several other major cities on Thursday. "It's salaries and pensions that must be increased, not the retirement age," read one large banner carried by workers that opened the protest march in Tours, western France.

In Nice, southern France, a large banner read, "No to the reform."

French police fired tear gas during a protest in Paris when individuals in hoodies and face masks hurled projectiles at their lines. Police had prepared for 550,000 to 750,000 protesters, including 50,000 to 80,000 in the capital.

The suggested reform would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and increase contributions required for a full pension.

Isabelle, 53, a social worker, said her job was too tough to add two more years.