PARIS/NANTES, France - On the fringes of a protest against President Emmanuel Macron and his divisive pension bill, groups of people dressed in black set fire to trash cans and hurled projectiles at police in Paris. The latter charged at them and fired tear gas.

Tuesday saw clashes break out at similar rallies in several other cities, including Rennes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. In Nantes, a bank branch and several vehicles were set ablaze.

There was less violence than last week, and rallies were generally peaceful, despite the fact that public annoyance has given way to broader anti-Macron sentiment.

However, live footage from BFM TV showed one man lying motionless on the ground in the midst of the altercations after being struck by a police charge in Paris. Social media users shared videos of the same scene widely. When asked to comment on the man's health, police initially stopped to assist him but did not do so later.

The pension bill, which raises the retirement age by two years to 64, was rejected earlier in the day by the government, angering labour
leaders who demanded that the government find a solution to the crisis.

The government reiterated that it would not budge on pensions but said it was more than happy to talk to unions about other issues. Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister, has offered to meet with unions the following Monday and Tuesday.

Since the middle of January, millions of people have participated in protests and strikes to voice their opposition to the legislation.

The following national protest day, according to unions, will take place on April 6.

Since the government used special powers to pass the bill through parliament without a vote, protests have become more intense.

A protester in Paris who was waving a sign that read, "France is angry." perfectly captured the atmosphere.

According to Fanny Charier, 3, who works for the Pole Emploi office for job seekers, the bill has served as a catalyst for anger over Macron's policies.

According to Macron, who ran for president twice and pledged to implement pension reform, change is necessary to maintain the stability of the nation's finances. There are other options, according to unions and the opposition parties.

Laurent Berger, the head of the CFDT union, told reporters at the Paris rally that it was intolerable that "we have proposed a way out ... and it's intolerable that we are being stonewalled again."

Anarchists from the "Black Bloc" broke storefront windows, destroyed bus stops, and ransacked a McDonald's restaurant in Paris during the previous major day of protests on Thursday. Similar actions were also carried out in other cities.

The protests of the yellow vest movement during Macron's first term were reminiscent of some of the worst street violence to occur in France in recent memory.

Even so, there were fewer violent incidents at rallies on Tuesday.

A BNP Paribas bank branch's boarded-up front in Nantes, a city in western France, was set on fire. In the vicinity of the rally, a car was set on fire, and some attendees fired fireworks at the police.

During the previous significant day of protests on Thursday, anarchists from the "Black Bloc" vandalized bus stops, ransacked a McDonald's restaurant, and broke storefront windows. Other cities also carried out similar deeds.

The yellow vest movement's demonstrations during Macron's first term were reminiscent of some of the worst acts of street violence that France has seen recently.

Even so, Tuesday's rallies saw fewer violent incidents.

The boarded-up front of a BNP Paribas bank branch in Nantes, a city in western France, was set on fire. A car was set on fire nearby the rally, and some participants shot fireworks at the police.

In contrast to the record 1.09 million who attended the rally on March 23, the Interior Ministry reported that 740,000 people demonstrated on Tuesday across the nation. The numbers in Paris were also lower than the previous week's record, but they were higher than or on par with earlier protests since January.

Nevertheless, according to data from the energy ministry, 17% of all French gas stations had at least one product missing as of Monday night, according to France's petroleum association, UFIP.

According to Charles de Courson of the opposition Liot party, the French authorities should take a cue from Israel, where the government has just put an end to a contentious overhaul of the justice system.