CNN —
Protesters entered an airport in south-west France on Tuesday as part of demonstrations against the nation’s proposed pension reforms that have sparked widespread protests and paralyzed key services across the country in recent weeks.
Videos on social media, verified by CNN, show smoke bombs being dropped by protesters outside Biarritz Airport’s entrance and terminal boarding area, before an evacuation announcement was played over loudspeakers.
Tuesday marked the 10th day of action against French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to raise the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64, which has angered opposition politicians and unions.
Macron’s government pushed a bill through parliament without a vote last week after two no-confidence votes paved the way for pension reform.
The government has continued to push the hugely unpopular bill because it says that relying on working people to pay for a growing age group of retirees is no longer effective.
Airport blockades were a nationwide tactic used by anti-pension reform protesters, with Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris also being cordoned off on Thursday morning.
At least four groups can be identified in the footage by their badges, including a local Basque union and two national federations – the CGT Departmental Union of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU).
The FSU – which streamed live video of the protests at the airport on Tuesday – is one of France’s main unions in the education sector, representing “162,000 members, 88% of whom are teachers”, according to its website.
Nationally, the CGT is one of five major unions with branches across the country.
CNN has attempted to contact both the FSU and the CGT and cannot independently confirm how many people were present at the airport protest or how the event unfolded.