More than 500 people have been arrested during anti-government protests in France against the decree approving the pension reform, which aims to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said police have arrested hundreds of protesters across the country in the last week during anti-government protests.

The protests, which are organized outside of parties and unions, are more volatile and unpredictable, according to local reports.

A series of general strikes and demonstrations have been organized in France since 19 January by opponents to a pension reform bill of the Borne government, which increased the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old.

Protests took place in other cities, such as Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse, and Marseille.

In the latter, shop windows and bank fronts were smashed, for which "radical leftist groups" were partially blamed, with shops looted.

Protests in the former three cities were reported to have resulted in clashes between protestors and police, and in Lyon consisted of approximately “400 people gathered in front of administrative offices, calling for the president to resign”. (ILKHA)