Photo essay: How demonstrations erupted around the world in March

From pension reform in France to a judiciary overhaul in Israel, plenty of issues brought people out onto the streets worldwide

Members of gendarmerie force catch fire during a demonstration in Sainte-Soline, France. Reuters

Protesters walk on the Promenade des Anglais holding CGT labour union flags on the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Nice. Reuters

Israeli police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators blocking a highway in Tel Aviv, Israel, during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the judicial system. AP

Israeli military veterans wave national flags during a rally against the government's judicial reform bill, along a highway near Netanya. AFP

Police officers detain a supporter of India's main opposition Congress party during a protest after parliament disqualified its leader Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi. Reuters

An opposition supporter holds a stone during clashes with Kenya Police Officers at the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya on March 27, 2023. - Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga called on his supporters to participate in countrywide protests every Monday and Thursday to demand that President William Ruto lowers the cost of living while questioning last year’s presidential elections results. Kenyans face economic hardship following the government’s recent tax measures and increased food and fuel prices. (Photo by Luis Tato / AFP)

Protests broke out against Israeli-Palestinian meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, at the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza City. Reuters

Georgian police officers fire tear gas to disperse protesters objecting to a 'foreign agents' bill. AFP

Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko gather two days before his trial in Dakar in Senegal. AFP

Teachers clash with police officers during a protest against a new curriculum set by Bolivia's Ministry of Education in La Paz. Reuters

Retired soldiers try to storm government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, last week. Matt Kynaston / The National

Leader of the National Salvation Front, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, centre, at a protest demanding the release of more than 20 opponents of Tunisia's President. EPA

Police carry Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, centre, after a demonstration outside Norway's Ministry of Finance against wind turbines at Fosen, Oslo. EPA

Protesters demonstrate after Iraq's parliament approved amendments to the elections law, in Najaf. Reuters

Members of South Africa's far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party attend a 'National Shutdown' in a protest over a range of issues, in Durban. Reuters

Indonesian workers try to remove a barbed wire fence during a protest against the government in Jakarta. EPA

Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women's Day, in Kabul. AFP

Austrian police officers carry a protester during a demonstration against an international gas conference in Vienna. Reuters

Police watch as a group of residents hold the first authorised protest and march in several years in Hong Kong. AFP

Public transport employees strike in Frankfurt, Germany demanding higher wages to combat inflation. AFP

Members of women's rights group 'Woman Life Freedom' attend a rally in New York condemning the mass poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls. AFP

Police detain a demonstrator protesting against former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's visit to China, in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Reuters

A water cannon is used against Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists blocking the Utrechtsebaan in the Hague, in the Netherlands. EPA

Demonstrators attend a rally in support of England's National Health Service and better pay for its workers, in central London. AFP

A minute's silence in tribute to the 57 victims of the latest Greek rail tragedy, in Athens. AFP

A demonstrator shouts at riot police during a protest against the government of Peru's President Dina Boluarte, in Lima. AFP

Policewoman stand guard at an anti-government demonstration for International Women's Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka. AFP

Protesters gather during an anti-government rally called 'Czechia against poverty' organised by the new non-parliamentary PRO party in Prague. AFP

South Korean politicians and protesters at a rally over plans to compensate victims of Japan's forced wartime labour, in Seoul. AFP

Flares are set off as Belgian firefighters attend a protest in Brussels. Reuters

A People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activist protests in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. EPA

Waves of protests engulfed much of the world in the past month. Hundreds of thousands marched across cities in France, Israel and Iraq, demonstrating against unpopular constitutional and political changes. Angry protesters also took to the streets in Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, Germany and Indonesia, among others.

The demonstrations were fuelled by different demands. For example, Israel saw one of its biggest protests over the government’s proposed overhaul of the judiciary. The reforms proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government would curtail the authority of Israel's Supreme Court and give greater power to politicians in appointing judges. Opposition groups and demonstrators described the changes as a threat to the country’s democracy.

France on the other hand witnessed weeks of mass protests and industrial strikes over a controversial pension reform. The protests descended into violent clashes between police and demonstrators in large cities such as Paris and Nantes after President Emmanuel Macron forced through a change to the retirement age without a vote in parliament, raising it from 62 to 64. The move was largely opposed by unions.

In Iraq, people turned out to oppose changes to the country’s parliamentary and provincial elections law that would bring back a voting system that benefits large parties.

On a much smaller scale, dozens of Afghan women protested in Kabul on International Women’s Day to demand more freedoms and rights. While in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, the animal rights group Peta protested against animal cruelty.

With no sign of demonstrations slowing down in the coming weeks, The National looks back at some of the biggest that have taken place in March.