Several French cities were the scene of spontaneous demonstrations and riots this Monday, sparked by groups opposing the pension reform, which would increase the minimum retirement age by two years.
The new protests came after the rejection of two censure motions against the government, which saw the passage of its pension reform, which has been strongly contested across the country in recent days.
In Paris on Monday, there were reports of small street fires by protesters taking advantage of mountains of rubbish that had accumulated in recent days following strikes by workers responsible for collecting rubbish, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
France Paris. This video seems to confirm that the police are slowly losing control of the situation! pic.twitter.com/UN1Ir6Rd2Q
– Cida Queiroz⚡10 5 6 5 (@cidaqueiroz) March 20, 2023
The pension reform, which includes raising the minimum retirement age to 64, is the main reason for the protests and is also one of the flagships of Macron’s mandate, which was re-elected last April.
Because the president does not have an absolute majority in the House of Representatives, he chose to pass the reform without a vote in parliament, allowing the opposition to table two motions of censure.
However, the motions were rejected, meaning that the reform was now considered successful.
After the rejection of the censure motions, dozens of people gathered in a Parisian tourist square, next to Napoleon’s mausoleum, where they held small gatherings during which garbage cans and accumulated rubbish were burned.
According to the newspaper Le monde70 people were arrested in the capital.
FRANCE. Riot police in Paris as protests against Macron’s regime intensify.
Police officers beat journalists and protesters to the ground. pic.twitter.com/zOhc7moRD2
– Cida Queiroz⚡10 5 6 5 (@cidaqueiroz) March 20, 2023
This is the fourth consecutive night of rioting in several cities after the executive decided last Thursday to pass the pension reform without a parliamentary vote.
Similar incidents took place in neighboring Paris, as well as in other cities such as Rennes, Lille, Nancy and Strasbourg.
While various sectors, from transport, education or waste collection, have been on strike for several days and intend to continue, the unions called for a ninth day of demonstrations on Thursday.
Source: DN
