The deployment of 13,000 police prevents another protest from igniting France

The tenth day of mobilization in France against the pension reform promoted by President Emmanuel Macron this Tuesday was protected by 13,000 policemen and gendarmes on the streets, 5,500 of them in Paris. It was an appointment that was considered high-risk, especially after the serious riots of a few days ago that resulted in more than 400 agents arrested and as many injured last Thursday alone. Police involvement did not completely prevent incidents, as did the presence of rioters black blocksbut he allowed protests They passed with a little more composure.

They evaluate in the MUP 740,000 people They protested across the country (93,000 in the capital) against Macron and his pension reform project, already approved by decree, which will raise the retirement age from the current 62 to 64. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) claimed two million protesters throughout the country, of which 450,000 in Paris. On March 23, there were between 1 million, according to the police, and 3.5 million protesters, according to the unions.

In Paris and other French cities there were clashes between police and groups black blocks, especially at the end of the day, after the withdrawal of the union. The most radical protesters destroyed street furniture, set trash cans on fire, and threw missiles at agents who They responded with police attacks and tear gas.. By nightfall, there were 22 detainees in the capital.

The French youth also got involved larger number than in previous demonstrations. Paul, a 16-year-old student at the Turgot public institute in Paris, is already thinking about retirement. This young Parisian girl, together with her classmates, blocked the entrance to her high school by placing several trash cans at the central door, which became a symbol of protest against the pension reform. “16-64, it’s a beer, not a race,” “Neither walking nor running,” “I have 49.3 reasons to smoke a joint,” and “Paris on fire,” read some of the banners the students hung around the entrance. . of that Parisian institution.

According to the Fidl student union, this Tuesday there were more than 500 institutes blocked in France, compared to 400 centers on March 23. Blocking the entrance to institutes and universities is “a way to say that we do not agree with this reform and to support the strikers who are demonstrating,” explained Paule in front of the center.

“If adults will work longer, it will mean less jobs for us“, explained this student, who explained that young French people also protested on Tuesday against police violence and against the use of Article 49.3 of the Constitution by the Government to approve the pension reform by decree without submitting it to a vote of the representatives.

After the blockade of the institute, Paule and his colleagues joined the Paris protest called by the trade unions. “All young people have parents or close friends who will be affected by the reform. It affects us equally», explained Louis, a 25-year-old sustainable development consultant working in a private company.

Yann, retired, noted that more and more young people are marching against Macron’s reforms. “High school students are like toothpaste, when they come out of the tube, there’s no one to put them back in.”warned Yann, using a well-known phrase that no one really knows who coined it, but which is often used in France to refer to the potential effect that mass mobilization of young people into protests would have.

Young people hope that with their mobilization they will be able to force Macron to bury the reform that was rejected by two out of three French people. In 2006, the then French President Jacques Chirac ended with the withdrawal of the first employment contract for under-26s, after several months of youth protests. They believe that Macron will eventually give in to pressure from the streets.

without intermediaries

The French government rejected the proposal of the general secretary of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), Laurent Berger, to resort to a mediator to get out of the social crisis the country is in and to end the postponement of the age limit. 64 retirement. “We don’t need intermediaries to talk to each other,” said Olivier Véran, a spokesman for the executive.

Cabinet of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne not wanting to bury the reformbut it is open for discussions on the “conditions of application of the law” after the Constitutional Council has given its opinion on the text.

Monitoring the strike

As in previous protests, transport and energy are the two sectors most affected by strikes. SNCF, the public railway company, registered train delays and cancellations across the country. Only three out of five high-speed trains (TGV) and one out of two regional trains were running. Instead, Eurostar and Thalys trains ran almost as normal.

Only six metro lines were operating in Paris. The rest circulated during peak hours and with a reduced frequency. The commuter train network has also been hit by strikes by RATP workers, the public transport operator for the Paris region.

20% of flights were canceled at Paris-Orly, Marseille-Provence and Bordeaux airports, according to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC). The child also blocked several ports and docks, preventing the arrival and departure of goods.

Blockade of refineries it is already causing fuel shortages across the country. 15.7% of gas stations lack at least one type of fuel, and 7.4% did not have any type of fuel, with gas stations in the south-east of France being the most affected. In the Vaucluse department, the prefecture has limited fuel sales to 30 liters per person for private individuals due to fuel shortages.