Nationwide protests in France continued Thursday against the government’s pension reform plans and ahead of a Friday vote to decide the legality of the planned overhaul, which will raise the retirement age in the country by two years. 

French labor unions urged a show of force in the streets ahead of the vote by the country’s Constitutional Council on the legality of the bill, set to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government pushed the pension bill through without a parliament vote, utilizing  a special constitutional power.  

The move garnered widespread anger against Macron, and protests against the bill have at times turned violent.  France’s Constitutional Council will decide Friday if the controversial law is in line with the country’s Constitution.

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