Protests

Another night of protests and arrests in France over the controversial pension reform pushed by President Emmanuel Macron.

Criticism from human rights watchdogs mounted on Friday over the alleged brutality of French police in handling protests opposed to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform.

French authorities arrested more than 450 people on Thursday in the most violent day of demonstrations since the start of the year against the bill to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Protesters hold placards during a protest outside the French embassy in solidarity with French workers protesting pension system changes, in Athens, Thursday. [Reuters]

Protests in France escalated into riots. In Bordeaux, demonstrators set fire to the town hall. In many cities, there were clashes between protesters and the police.

Another night of protests and clashes with the police in France over the pension reform. Police used tear gas against demonstrators in Paris who set garbage containers and a motorcycle on fire.

Greek police fired tear gas and protesters hurled firebombs on Thursday as more than 40,000 people took to the streets to slam the government and voice outrage at last month's train disaster that killed 57 people.

The protests were accompanied by a 24-hour strike -- the biggest yet since the disaster -- this time called by Greece's leading private as well as public sector unions.

Clashes broke out in Athens Thursday after a general strike in Greece that was called in response to a rail disaster last month.

Flights to and from Greece were grounded and ships remained docked at ports on Thursday, as Greek workers walked off the job to protest over the country's deadliest train crash on record which killed 57 people on Feb. 28.

Greece is blocked by a 24-hour general strike. The transport is not moving. Government offices are closed. Large-scale protest demonstrations are being prepared throughout the country.

Tens of thousands of people marched in Athens and cities across Greece on Wednesday to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country's worst train disaster , which exposed significant rail safety deficiencies.