In France, tens of thousands are again protesting against pension reform

In France, tens of thousands of people have once again protested President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform – the constitutional council is set to review its legality this Friday.

In many cities, the unions had already taken a decision on Thursday called for rallies twelfth time, for which authorities expected 400,000 to 600,000 participants. The deployment of 11,500 police officers was planned, 4,200 of them in Paris. The protests, which initially went peacefully for weeks, have recently led to repeated violence and clashes. In Paris, banks and expensive shops protected their windows with wooden panels as a precaution.

Roads, rail lines and refineries were blocked across the country on Thursday — but the restrictions were ultimately manageable. Garbage collectors in Paris went on strike again and the CGT union threatened to turn the capital into a public garbage dump until the reform was withdrawn. In Paris, too, protesters broke into the headquarters of the French luxury group LVMH and set fire to fireworks. Clashes between demonstrators and police were reported from Nantes and Rennes.

The protests are directed against the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. With the reform that has now been adopted, 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. President Emmanuel Macron wants the reform to take effect by the end of the year.

Macron on Wednesday defended his controversial reform against continued criticism and promised dialogue with trade unions. The country must continue to make progress and he wants to talk to the social partners about how things are going. Reform is needed, public budgets need to be balanced. On Friday, the Constitutional Council will announce the result of an investigation into the reform project. He could undo the reform in whole or in part or declare it constitutional. A large police force on Thursday protected the building of the Constitutional Council, where the demonstration marched in Paris.

If the constitutional council essentially confirms the reform, there is no longer any prospect of watering down or abandoning the project by unions. Still, more demonstrations will come, the union said on Thursday. The head of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger, has already named May 1 as the next day of protest. Macron’s invitation to dialogue was met with annoyance. The new head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, said they had been wanting to talk to Macron for a month. A meeting when everything has been decided is pointless. (oee/sda/dpa)