Protesters tried to force their way into a theater in Paris where President Emmanuel Macron attended a show with his wife.
A crowd gathered outside the Theater Des Bouffes du Nord on Friday evening after the couple had arrived to watch a performance of La Mouche (The Fly). Videos on social media showed protesters chanting “Macron resign” and at one stage trying to enter the venue near the Gare du Nord train terminus in northern Paris.
The president’s presence at the theater was flagged on Twitter by journalist and political activist Taha Bouhafs, who was inside the venue. He was later detained by police, according to a judicial source.
The nationwide strike over the proposed pension reforms, which started in early December, is one of the biggest to hit the country in years and has been affecting rail, road and air transportation.
On December 11, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a two-year-extension of the working period necessary to earn a full pension, triggering the anger of workers and trade unions but on January 11 he stated that he was willing to temporarily suspend plans to raise the retirement age.