Number of People Detained During Protests in France Rises to 310: Interior Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of people detained during protests against the controversial pension reform in France has risen to 310, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Friday.

"There were 258 detentions in Paris yesterday [on Thursday] ... and 310 [in general across the country]," Darmanin told the French broadcaster.

On Thursday, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that the government had adopted the law on raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years by invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, which allowed the government to pass the bill without parliamentary approval. The decision sparked a strong backlash, prompting people to take to the streets across the country. Previous reports indicated that 217 people were detained as a result of violent clashes.

In January, Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. Under the reform project, the French authorities intend to gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months per year starting from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64.

The draft reform has caused a massive backlash in French society. There have already been seven general strikes and hundreds of demonstrations in France within the last two months, with over 1 million people taking part in most of them. During the protests, clashes often broke out between the police and protesters.