Striking French firefighters faced off against riot police who deployed water cannons and smoke grenades, and erected large metal barriers to block off the fire service as they protested in Paris on Tuesday. Several thousand firefighters protested understaffing, the threat to their government pensions and a lack of recognition of their work, including risk premiums that match those of the police and the gendarmerie. Police decried the fact that many protesting firefighters had abandoned the prearranged route, and it didn’t take long before the march descended into clashes with riot police.