There was a heavy presence of riot police in the French capital where thousands marched against the legislation, which allows employers to hire and fire people more easily, as well as negotiate working times with their staff directly.
Clashes broke out in Paris as groups of young protesters, who had their faces covered, provoked the police by throwing stones and flares.
Law enforcement replied with batons and pepper spray, making several arrests of protesters.
Tensions in #Paris at Labour law protest! #LoiTravail
Earlier, security officials blocked all entrances and exits at the central Paris-Gare de Lyon train station to avoid an overflow of protestors.
La police bloque les entrées et sorties de la #garedelyon#manif15sept #Blocus15Septembre #LoiTravail
Tensions were also high in the western port of Nantes, where police reportedly used tear gas on the crowd.
Videos posted online also show demonstrators being sprayed with several water hoses by security officials.
EN DIRECT de #Nantes -Affrontements en cours avec les CRS & GM en marge du cortège pour l'abrogation #LoiTravail
Demonstrators also marched through the eastern city of Belfort where 400 are at risk of losing their jobs after train-maker Alstom announced it would close the local plant due to lack of orders.
French airport workers also joined the walkout in protest over labor reform as the country’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) asked airlines operating out of Paris to cancel 15 percent of their flights on Thursday.
According to the DGAC, the disruptions are expected to be felt all across France and elsewhere in Europe. EasyJet and Ryanair carriers have already announced the cancellation of around 140 flights.
Protests against the labor reform continue despite the legislation having already been adopted by Parliament this summer.
The number of demonstrators, however, has been decreasing since it peaked at hundreds of thousands back in March. The previous walkout against the labor reform in July saw just around 35,000 participants.
However, the French regional trade unions CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL and FIDL, which called for the protest, expressed their eagerness to fight the government.
“We will show them that, law or no law, we will always stand against them,” Francois Roche, a member of the CGT union demonstrating in Marseille, told AFP
