French authorities prepared for the worst, on the 10th day of action against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, but the level of violence recorded on the 9th day, last Thursday, was not repeated. Yesterday there were fewer people on the streets than expected and despite new clashes between demonstrators and police – a record 13,000 elements were deployed, 5,500 of them in Paris alone – the situation was better under control. The next day of protest is April 6.
According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, some 740,000 people protested in France yesterday, 93,000 of them in the capital, according to data from the city council. By March 23, more than a million people had taken to the streets, 119,000 of them in Paris. The figures differ from those of the trade unions, which counted 450,000 protesters in the capital alone yesterday, speaking of two million people protesting across the country. (On Thursday they were talking about 3.5 million).
The scenario was more complicated in Nantes, where a bank branch was set on fire along with rubbish bins and protesters threw projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas. In Bordeaux, a demonstrator and six police officers were slightly injured and six people were arrested. At least 19 garbage cans and two vehicles were set on fire.
Tear gas was also used in the capital when a group of people dressed in black stormed a supermarket with their faces covered. By late afternoon, 27 people had been arrested in Paris. Still, the situation was far from that of Thursday, when hundreds of fires were set in the streets of the capital and at least 400 police officers were injured in the clashes.
Although the situation is calmer by comparison, one in five respondents (18%) support the use of violence, according to a poll by Toluna Harris Interactive. Among those who said they support the protests, the number reaches 25%. The authorities therefore fear that the demonstrations will become more violent, and are also concerned that more and more young people are participating in the protests – yesterday there were several blockades at schools and universities.
On the sidelines of the protests, strikes continue in various sectors, namely in transport and in the energy sector (there are gas stations without any fuel). However, at the end of three consecutive weeks of strike, Paris’ garbage collectors are getting back to work, but it will take some time to clear the piles of rubbish that have piled up along the streets.
Suspend changes?
The demonstrations have been repeated since the presentation of Macron’s pension reform project, raising the retirement age for the French from 62 to 64. Protests gained momentum after the government, led by Élisabeth Borne, passed the law without a final vote in parliament, resorting to Article 49.3 of the French Constitution. Pension reform was an election proposal by Macron already in his first term, with the president insisting it is the only way to ensure the sustainability of the system.
Yesterday in an opinion piece in the newspaper Le mondepolitical science professor Bastien François suggested that Macron resort to another article of the French constitution to calm the situation: article 10. This would allow the president return the law to parliament, to be discussed again, blocking its entry into force – which is mandatory. In practice, it would amount to suspending the application of the law, and may never even be mentioned again. Taking into account Macron’s willingness to move forward with the reform, this does not appear to be a proposal the president will consider.
The unions argue that there are other ways to save the pension system and ask the government to take a “pause” and reconsider the situation. They also ask for a “mediation” for dialogue with the government. But the proposals were rejected by the executive, which is open to discussing topics other than pension reform.
Meanwhile, the president’s popularity is falling and he is approaching the values he achieved during the yellow vest protests during his first term (27% approval). According to the Odoxa poll released yesterday, 30% of respondents think Macron is a “good” president, minus six percentage points in a month, while 70% rate him negatively.
Source: DN
