Pension demonstrations paralyse France

(RT) ⸻ Nationwide strikes and rallies against pension reform have caused major traffic disruptions and paralyzed oil refineries and universities in France, with trade unions calling for the country to be brought "to a halt." As the latest wave of protests against the government's plan to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62 entered their sixth day, trade unions announced that "more than two million people" would take part in rallies on Tuesday. Marches started in the early morning across the country, with crowds blocking major higher education establishments including Rennes II University and Lyon II University, and protesters erected barricades in front of a bus depot in La Roche-sur-Yon. At least 100 people blocked the RN 24 highway connecting Rennes and Lorient in western France, according to student organization Le Poing Leve (The Raised Fist). The trade union organization CGT-Chimie said fuel shipments had been blocked at the exits of "all refineries." TotalEnergies confirmed to AFP that it had been affected, but said there was no shortage of fuel at its stations.