May 26, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23,1424

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PARIS, May 25: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris on Sunday to urge the government to withdraw its plans for pension reform, ratcheting up the pressure on French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Union organizers put the turnout at nearly one million people, but police said some 230,000 protestors were at the rally.

In a sea of brightly coloured flags and signs, union leaders marched behind a giant banner reading: “On the offensive, determined, standing together for the future of our pensions.”

Protestors from both the public and private sector — many of whom marched with their families as France celebrated Mothers’ Day — sang and blew whistles to a constant drum beat in a light-hearted atmosphere.

“I’m fighting for the youth of the future,” said 60-year-old retiree Rene Sansuc.

Three separate routes, converging on the Place d’Italie in the south of the capital, have been opened up to avoid congestion at the demonstration, expected to be one of the largest in Paris in recent years.—AFP