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A man stands on a traffic light during a demonstration in Paris. The Eiffel Tower shut down, France's vaunted high-speed trains stood still and several thousand protesters marched through Paris as unions launched open-ended, nationwide strikes over the government's plan to overhaul the retirement system.

Protestors hold a banner during a demonstration in Paris.

People march during a demonstration in Paris.

People run away from team gas during a demonstration in Paris.

Protesters march during a mass stirke in the Old Port of Marseille, southern France. Workers across the public sector fear President Emmanuel Macron's reform will force them to work longer and shrink their pensions.

A youth runs during a demonstration in Paris. Small groups of protesters are smashing store windows, setting fires and hurling flares in eastern Paris amid mass strikes over the government's retirement reform.

People march during a demonstration in Paris. The Eiffel Tower shut down, France's high-speed trains stood still and tens of thousands of people marched through Paris and other cities in a massive and sometimes chaotic outpouring of anger at the government's plan to overhaul the retirement system.

A demonstrator attends a demonstration in Paris.

A woman walks past the closed Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Eiffel Tower shut down, France's vaunted high-speed trains stood still and teachers walked off the job as unions launched nationwide strikes and protests over the government's plan to overhaul the retirement system.

A woman walks her dog on the empty Champs Elysees avenue, with the Arc de Triomphe in background, in Paris.

The empty Montparnasse train station is pictured in Paris. Tourists are canceling travel plans and Paris is deploying thousands of police as France girds for massive, nationwide strikes and protests against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to overhaul the retirement system. Transport will be hardest hit by the walkout, with flights, trains and buses canceled and most of the Paris subway system coming to a halt.

A truck is set ablaze during a demonstration in Paris.

A baggage drop-off desk is pictured empty at the Orly airport, south of Paris.

A man waits on the platform of Louveciennes train station, west of Paris.

A man walks in a commuter train at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris.

People ride bicycles on the empty Seine river banks lane in Paris. The Eiffel Tower shut down, France's vaunted high-speed trains stood still and teachers walked off the job as unions launched nationwide strikes and protests over the government's plan to overhaul the retirement system.

Passengers check the information board at the Orly airport, south of Paris.