France: Over 1 million march against raising retirement age PARIS (AP) — At least 1.1 million people protested on the streets of Paris and other French cities Thursday amid nationwide strikes against plans to raise the retirement age — but President Emmanuel Macron insisted he would press ahead with the proposed pension reforms.Emboldened by the mass show of resistance, French unions announced new strikes and protests Jan. 31, vowing to try to get the government to back down on plans to push up the standard retirement age from 62 to 64.I’m scared of the future when I’ll be older and have to retire.” Sylvie Béchard, a 59-year-old nurse, said that she joined the march because “we, health care workers, are physically exhausted.” “The only thing we have is to demonstrate, and to block the economy of the country,” she added.Many French workers expressed mixed feelings about the government’s plan and pointed to the complexity of the pension system.Or do you want to enjoy life?” asked Fabien Villedieu, a 45-year-old railway worker, French Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt acknowledged “concerns” prompted by the pension plans but said the government rejected other options involving raising taxes — which he said would hurt the economy and cost jobs — or reducing pensions."