Scuffles broke out between protesters and anti-riot police in Lyon on Friday as hundreds rallied following the Constitutional Council’s decision to approve the Macron government’s unpopular pension reform proposal.

Footage shows police firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators, who were seen marching through the city centre in large numbers. Rubbish bins were overturned and public property, including a bus stop and a billboard, was destroyed during the unrest.

Various trade unions, including the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), organised a rally outside the city’s prefecture building ahead of the Constitutional Council’s decision.

“We will continue in the streets. Nobody was hoping for any good from the Council. We all knew that they would decide this," a protester said.

"The movement will go on. We won’t give up, never give up. They don’t know what’s coming for them. We will go to the end, if we have to block the country, we will," added a second.

The Constitutional Council ruled on Friday that the plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 was valid, with the reforms now set to be in force by the end of the year.

Protests have been ongoing since January and intensified after the government forced through the changes without a vote in the National Assembly. The administration argues that reforms are needed to ensure the sustainability of the system.