Mass protests against pension reforms in France gain momentum

France braced on January 30 for another day of mass protests and strikes over proposed pension reform, with the government of President Emmanuel Macron and its left-wing opponents trading blame for the expected disruption.

Around 1.1 million people took to the streets for the first strike day on January 19, according to official statistics, the biggest demonstrations since the last major round of pension reform under right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010, per France 24.

A police source told AFP that security forces were expecting similarly sized crowds on Tuesday, with 1.2 million seen as the upper limit at 240 demonstrations around the country.

With unions warning more stoppages are to come, the strikes represent a major test for Macron as he seeks to implement a showcase policy for his second term in office.

The president's ministers and their opponents are desperately seeking to sway public opinion ahead of what is expected to be a bitter and costly standoff over the next month.

Senior hard-left MP Mathilde Panot from the France Unbowed (LFI) party accused Macron and his ministers of being responsible for the stoppages that are expected to cripple public transport and other services again.

"They're the ones who want to wreak havoc on the country," she told BFM TV while also criticising comments by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin over the weekend as a "provocation."

Darmanin, a close Macron ally, said on January 28 that left-wing political parties were "only looking to screw up the country" and were defending "idleness and champagne socialism."