French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanen said 175 of the 13,000 police officers deployed to protests across the country on Tuesday were injured, DPA reported Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people protested again in France against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, with police reporting violent demonstrations in several cities and arrests in Paris.

According to preliminary data, 201 people have been arrested, Darmanin wrote on Twitter.

According to media reports, protests and destruction of property took place not only in Paris, but also in Nantes, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux, Calais, Dijon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Cannes. In some places, the police used water cannons and tear gas.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced about 740,000 participants in protests across the country. According to the CGT trade union, the number of protesters exceeded two million.

The protests, which have been going on peacefully for several weeks, are directed against the gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. With this reform, the government wants to cover the expected deficit of the pension fund. Discontent grew after President Macron pushed the text through the National Assembly without a vote.

Two weeks ago, two votes of no confidence in the government were rejected, thus the reform was approved. The text of the law is currently being considered by the Constitutional Council. Macron wants the reform to take effect by the end of the year. (Agerpress)