Paris ground to a halt and more than 10,000 police officers were deployed across the country

Demonstrators took to the streets and workers went on strike across France to protest a government plan to increase the retirement age to 64, in what is expected to be a drawn out battle between unions and President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Jan Schmidt-Whitley/Zuma Press

PARIS—More than one million people took to the streets and workers across France went on strike Thursday to protest the government’s plan to raise the country’s retirement age, kicking off what is expected to be a protracted battle between unions and President Emmanuel Macron.

The French capital ground to a halt as teachers and railway, health and oil workers went on strike, forcing many schools and nurseries to shut down. Several museums, including the Louvre, said parts of their collections wouldn’t open. Trains, subways and buses were curtailed and dozens of flights canceled.

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