Eiffel Tower shut by day of protests
The Eiffel Tower closed, many schoolchildren across France had no classes and air traffic controllers were staying off work in a nationwide day of protests and strikes to air an array of grievances against the government.
Thousands of protesters, blowing whistles and waving union banners, marched in Paris in support of the catch-all movement of private and public sector workers.
The movement was likely to increase pressure on the already-unpopular Socialist government of President Francois Hollande.
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Hide AdThe demonstrations and strikes in the protest-friendly country follow recent complaints by groups as diverse as doctors and notaries against recent government reforms, and on top of ongoing strikes by French air traffic controllers and workers at state radio.