Paris, Sep 15 (UNI) At least 26 people were detained during the new wave of yellow vest protests in the city of Nantes in western France, local police said.
'Twenty-six people have been detained since the morning," the police of the Loire-Atlantique department, where Nantes is located, tweeted on Saturday.
About 1,800 protesters marched in the center of the city and were breaking windows and confronting the police officers during the rally, Aljazeera reported.
Police also responded with tear gas after some protesters threw projectiles.
The wave of the yellow vest rallies started in France in mid-November over planned hikes in fuel taxes. However, it has morphed into a violent revolt against French President Emmanuel Macron and his government.
Macron's government has sought to ease tensions with 17bn euros ($18.82bn) of countermeasures to boost the monthly minimum wage, remove some taxes, and offer relief to poor retirees.
Despite Macron's recent efforts to make amends, the French government has faced a new round of protests over the long-awaited pension reforms that seek to merge France's 42 different pension systems into a single points-based system.
On Friday, Paris witnessed the biggest public transport strike since 2007 in response to the proposed reforms, causing major traffic jams, disrupting tourists' plans, and forcing commuters to work from home or find alternative ways to reach the office.
Paris public transport company RATP said 10 metro lines were closed and several others were severely disrupted.
More protests have been planned by the French pilots, nurses and lawyers on Monday, while the "yellow vest" protesters are calling for a "big mobilisation" on September 21.
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