Activists were denied permission however to stage a counter-demonstration against police violence in the same square ahead of the rally.
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“I prefer that people remember me as a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing”, he said. “So it got to the point where we said enough is enough”.
CGT chief Philippe Martinez led the Paris march, which like others across the country was joined by backers of the Nuit Debout protest movement (which loosely translates as “Night Uprising”) that sprang up in response to the labour reforms.
Hollande is staking his bid on bringing down the jobless rate, stuck stubbornly above 10 percent, and at almost 25 percent for young people.
Hollande has sought to cut France’s employment rate, which is holding above 10%, by making it easier for individual employers to fire and hire employees.
Hollande has pledged to decide by the end of this year whether to stand for re-election next May, but he said Tuesday he saw “no alternative” to himself on the left of French politics.
“When I came up with this turn of phrase, I did not mean that everything is getting better”, he said.
“The battle is not won”.
Eleven were injured Tuesday during the latest protests against the reforms, which are seen as too pro-business and were forced through without a parliamentary vote.
The draft law will now be debated in the Senate, the upper house of parliament.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 350 police officers had been injured over the past two months.
The controversial reform is likely to be the last major legislation for Hollande, as the country starts counting down the last 12 months before the next presidential elections.
Police planned to gather during their lunch breaks Wednesday in about 60 cities across France, including on the Republic Plaza in Paris, to denounce the nearly daily violent clashes at protests against a labor reform in recent weeks.
In the wider population French police enjoy an enviable reputation, scoring an 82 percent approval rating in a recent opinion poll.
The Transport unions have planned rolling strikes on Tuesday and Thursdays every week up until July as they b*tt heads with a government which has refused to back down.
Around 30 investigations have been opened into alleged police brutality, and left-wing politicians as well as unions have strongly criticised the government for its handling of the protests.
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France’s DGAC aviation authority has warned of disruption at many airports and a 15% cut in services at Paris Orly on Thursday.
