Again strikes and protests against pension reform in France

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In France, hundreds of thousands protested again on Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. According to the police, there were riots in several cities. According to the Interior Ministry, 175 police officers were injured and about 200 people were arrested.

The Interior Ministry spoke of 740,000 protesters across the country on Tuesday. More than two million people took part in the strikes and protests, according to the CGT union. The Interior Ministry had deployed 13,000 security forces across the country, including 5,500 in Paris. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stressed that this is more than at any time since the pension protests began.

Last Thursday, considerably more people took to the streets. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there were almost 1.09 million, according to the CGT 3.5 million.

Pupils and students also joined the protest marches organized by the trade unions. Some high schools and colleges are blocked. The tenth day of nationwide protests was again accompanied by strikes, including at the state railway SNCF.

The protests, which have been peaceful for weeks, have recently been overshadowed by mass violence and clashes. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday the deployment of 13,000 police officers, 5,500 of them in Paris. There, the police asked owners to close their shops along the demonstration route.

State visit of Charles III. delay

The protests are directed against the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. With the reform, the middle government wants to close an imminent gap in the pension fund. The dispute worsened as the government pushed through the text without a vote by the National Assembly. A week ago, two no-confidence motions in the government failed. The reform has therefore succeeded. It will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council. Macron wants the reform to take effect by the end of the year.

Despite the ongoing protests, the government is not in sight. The head of the largest union, CFDT, Laurent Berger, proposed mediation on Tuesday. The reform should be suspended for several weeks to allow consultations with a small group of mediators. Government spokesman Olivier Véran gave the but a refusal. You can talk to each other without mediation.

Due to the planned protests, a state visit from the British King Charles III. cancelled. There was relief in Paris, where the CGT union announced an end to the garbage collection strike after more than three weeks. More than 7,000 tons of rubbish still piles up in the streets. The city now uses excavators. (SDA)

Source: Blick