Trade unions in France are preparing on Thursday for renewed protests against the pension reform.
This will be the ninth day of planned mobilization since January, with thousands of workers walking out in various sectors, including transportation, energy, and education.
The rally in Paris will start in the afternoon and protests will be held in other cities as well.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday evening said that 12,000 police officers, including 5,000 in Paris, will be deployed during those demonstrations, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
National railway company SNCF and Parisian regional transportation company RATP announced that their services will be largely disrupted, the daily Le Figaro reported.
The French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) urged airline companies to cancel 30% of their flights at Paris-Orly airport, and 20% of the flights at Marseille-Provence, Toulouse, and Lyon airports, due to the workers' strikes.
Non-stop demonstrations
The country has been facing non-stop demonstrations since March 16, when President Emmanuel Macron and Prime minister Elisabeth Borne decided to use constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary consent.
Acts of violence marred most of those impromptu protests, with hundreds arrested during the weekend.
Macron's speech
President Macron on Wednesday, during an interview with broadcasters France 2 and TF1, did not budge from his decision on the reform, saying that it is a must.
He explained that this bill will pursue its democratic path, and "must enter into force this year."
Those remarks triggered outrage among the opposition parties and trade unions, who criticized the president for arrogance and contempt.
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