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7 September 2010
Last updated at
17:49
In pictures: France protests
On a day of action by French unions and workers, hundreds of thousands have protested, and a general strike has severely disrupted services.
Union bosses and many workers are angry at the government's plan to overhaul pensions and raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.
According to officials, some 1.1 million marched in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other major cities. Unions believe the turnout was about 2.5 million in total.
Striking workers from public and private sectors were out in force at the rallies - many are angry at plans to cut jobs to reduce France's budget deficit.
The strike hit the public transport network particularly hard, with train operator SNCF managing to put on fewer than half of its TGV inter-cities.
Although the protests were against government reforms, it was President Nicolas Sarkozy who played the role of hate figure for many of the demonstrators.
Unions were hoping to provoke the government into a showdown on pensions, but ministers promised to be resolute over the reforms.
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