French Protests Turn Violent

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Conflict
Masked youths throw projectiles during clashes with French riot police in Nanterre, near Paris, on Oct. 19, 2010. France faced its sixth day of nationwide strikes and protests in two months as trade unions sought to force the government to back down on an unpopular pension reform that would raise the retirement age from

Taking Aim
Police take position during clashes with youths after a demonstration in Lyon. About 480,000 people joined demonstrations around the country, according to the French government.

Total Loss
A car burns during a student demonstration in Nanterre.

Organized Labor
ArcelorMittal steelworkers dressed in protective suits demonstrate against the proposed reforms in Marseille.

Trashed
High school students block traffic during a demonstration at the Place de la République in Paris

An Assembly
Private- and public-sector workers gather in Marseille.

Wreckage
A woman runs past a shoe shop damaged during clashes in Lyon

Melting
A youth jumps over a burning garbage bin during clashes in Lyon.

Dispersant
High school students protect themselves from police-dispersed tear gas in Lyon.

In Custody
A young protester in Nanterre is arrested.

Unpopular with the Crowd
At a protest in Caen, a man with a flare poses with a fellow demonstrator wearing a mask of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.