Tear gas, flares, clashes and splashes: France's strike in pictures

Public sector workers in France continue to bring transportation in the country to a virtual standstill as they protest pension reforms.

Protesters gathered Thursday morning in France's third-largest city, Lyon, where temperatures were just above freezing. Demonstrations were not planned for Friday but the strike continues.

Police blocked several bridges in the town in preparation for the protests.

The strike comes as the city prepares for its largest tourist event of the year - the Fête des lumières - that brings over a million tourists to the city each year.

Here's a look at Thursday's protest pictures: