Bordeaux town hall set ablaze as French pension reform unrest grows

Unrest over pension reform in France grew on Thursday, with Bordeaux town hall set ablaze.

More than a million protesters took to the streets across France, amid renewed violence and tension. 

457 arrests were made and 441 police injured, according to the country's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. 

The porch of the Bordeaux town hall, where King Charles III is set to be received early next week, was set on fire Thursday evening. It was not clear who is behind the blaze, which firefighters quickly extinguished. 

Unrest - now in its ninth day - was sparked by French President Emmanuel Macron's attempt to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. 

He claims the reform is necessary to make the system economically viable, with increasing numbers of pensioners putting a burden on the state. 

However, it is deeply unpopular and Macron's use of special powers to force the legislation through parliament has been sharply criticised as anti-democratic and authoritarian. 

Polls suggest up to 70% of French citizens reject the reform. 

France's powerful unions have spearheaded the protest movement, with one in six civil servants on strike yesterday, while tons of rubbish is piling up on the streets amid industrial action by refuse collectors.

Between 1 and 3.5 million people are believed to have marched in 300 cities yesterday.

Violent clashes between riot officers and protesters have punctuated several protests in recent days, with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne deeming the "violence and degradation" "unacceptable".

The police, in turn, have been accused of using excessive force. Footage circulating online purports to show a group of riot officers pointing a firearm at the press covering one protest. 

The fire in Bordeaux lasted around