From the New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernu-C, and this is the Daily.

Millions of people have taken to the streets in France to stop a government proposal that would raise the retirement age to be more in line with its European neighbors.

We're protesting because we don't want to spend the rest of our life just working without the retirement.

It's a democratic problem.

Today, as the French Parliament votes in the proposal, Paris Bureau Chief Roger Cohen explains why it hits such a nerve in French society,

and why French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for it anyway.

It's Thursday, March 16th.

Roger, hello.

Hello, Sabrina.

So Roger, I've been watching all of these protests in France. Millions of people on the street help me understand what exactly is going on, why people are so upset.

Well, Sabrina, there's been an enormous degree of agitation and street protest in France over the last couple of months.

In response to President Emmanuel Macron's push to raise the retirement age in France to 64 from 62.

These are new pictures just coming into us this morning, the scene in the streets, just massive disruption.

The result is that eight times in the last seven weeks, there has been two mold.

Now, people are here once again to say no to President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Massive numbers of people in the street, not only in Paris, but throughout France.

French union workers aiming to shut down critical industries across the nation, walking off the job and into the streets.

The metal or subway is ghastly functioning, bus service is very limited.

You can't get a hold of the equivalent of the city bikes here, they're all taken.

And because the garbage collection services on strike, garbage has been piling up into great mountains of trash overhead hide.

Fortunately, the weather has been cold, so the stink of it is not appalling as it might be.

While it's a very serious protest, the atmosphere has been on the whole fairly festive.

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