Protests against pension bill in Marseille, Paris

(23 Mar 2023) ASSOCIATED PRESS Marseille - 23 March 2023 1. Protesters holding banner chanting and jumping 2. Protesters walking 3. Protesters dancing and chanting ASSOCIATED PRESS Paris - 23 March 2023 4. Protesters with flares and banner 5. Tracking shots of protesters walking on railway tracks and chanting 6. Various of banners and French President Emmanuel Macron mock puppet 7. Protesters and bonfire 8. Protesters holding union flag amidst smoke 9. SOUNDBITE (French) Maxim Monin, public transport driver, 46: "Contrary to a widespread idea, public transport employees are not paid on strike days. So yes, we are trying to get organised the best we can. We contribute to the ‘strike box’ (money collection box), we take the hit (money hit). This year perhaps maybe our holidays won't be so great. But I think it’s worth it, it's worth the sacrifice ." 10. Protesters chanting 11. SOUNDBITE (French) Fabien Villedieu, ‘SUD rail’, railway workers union: "We've already opted for a renewable strike at the SNCF (French railway system). Today, I don’t know if we can say if it's a general strike, but it's starting to look like it. There are actions every day everywhere, in all the small and big cities of France, with one, two, three, or four protests. One, two, three, or four blockades. What do we need to do? What do we need to do to make the government listen? Macron needs to do something big time, he has to listen to his people." 12. Various of protest STORYLINE: French labor unions are holding their first mass demonstrations since President Emmanuel Macron forced a higher retirement age through parliament without a vote. Protesters staged road blockades on major highways and interchanges to slow traffic around big cities. Train services were suspended in Marseille because protesters were stationed near the tracks. Protesters have blockaded train stations, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and refineries. High-speed and regional trains, the Paris metro and public transportation systems in other major cities were disrupted. About 30% of flights at Paris Orly Airport were cancelled. Thursday's events were the ninth round of nationwide protests and strikes called by France's eight main unions since January. The French leader said Wednesday that the government's bill to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 must be implemented by the end of the year. AP Video shot by Alex Turnbull =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...