Protesters lit garbage on fire in the centre of Paris on Monday after President Emmanuel Macron's administration narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in parliament over a profoundly unpopular pension reform.
Macron will be relieved by the defeat of the no-confidence vote. If it had succeeded, it would have toppled his government and killed the bill to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62.
But the relief proved to be temporary.
When protestors engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with police on some of the most famous roads in Paris, firefighters rushed to extinguish trash heaps that had been burning for days due to strikes.
Earlier on Thursday, a Reuters reporter witnessed police firing tear gas and briefly charging at protestors after a vote of no confidence failed by a razor-thin margin.
Unions and opposition groups have stated they will intensify protests to compel a U-turn.
The vote on the tripartite motion of no confidence was closer than anticipated. It was supported by 278 lawmakers, nine short of the 287 needed for passage.
Opponents argue that this demonstrates that Macron's choice to circumvent a legislative vote on the pension law, which generated the motions of no confidence, has already harmed his reforming program and leadership.
As soon as it was reported that the vote of no confidence had failed, members of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI, France Unbowed) yelled "Resign!" at Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and waved signs that said, "We'll gather in the streets."
Mathilde Panot, the head of the LFI's parliamentary group, told reporters, "Nothing is resolved; we will continue to do everything possible to roll back this reform."
More Strikes to Come
In the southern city of Bordeaux, 200 to 300 individuals, primarily young people, gathered to protest the change and screamed, "Macron, resign!" Many garbage cans were set on fire as the mob screamed, "This will explode!"
In Paris and throughout the country, fights over the pension change have been reminiscent of the Yellow Vest protests that erupted in late 2018 over rising fuel costs.
Thursday marks the seventh statewide day of strikes and protests.
"Nothing weakens worker mobilization," the hardline CGT union declared following the decision, urging workers to intensify industrial action and "participate massively in rolling strikes and protests."
The opposition parties will also appeal the law before the Constitutional Council, which may decide to nullify any or all of it if it violates the constitution.
A second vote of no confidence proposed by the far-right National Rally (RN) also failed, with only 94 votes. Several opposition parties have stated that they will not support it.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right, stated that Borne should be eliminated. She opined that Macron should hold a referendum on the change, but this was improbable. "He is deaf to the desires of the French people," she told reporters.
