It was a Labor Day the likes of which had not been seen in France for two decades – and at that point May 1st fell between the two presidential rounds – but the mobilization of the 13th day of protest against the pension reform did not accomplish that the numbers of some of the previous ones. And again, the demonstrations were marked by violence in several cities, including Paris. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne called the “scenes of violence” “unacceptable”.
According to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), 2.3 million people (550 thousand in Paris alone) took part in the parades. A Labor Day that the confederacy called “historic.” As always, the Interior Ministry accounts are different, speaking of 782,000 protesters across the country and just 112,000 in the capital. If we look only at the official figures, it is the strongest mobilization on this day since 2002 – when about 1.3 million people took to the streets in the middle of the presidential duel between Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen.
However, opposition to the pension reform has led to greater civic engagement, with unions claiming that more than three million people have taken to the streets on at least two occasions. Still, this Monday was the best day since the ninth day of protest, on March 23.
The pension reform was approved on March 16 without passing through parliament and proclaimed by President Emmanuel Macron on April 15, the same day the Constitutional Council gave the green light to most of the measures – namely the most controversial, which included raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
Macron and the government want to turn the page and move on to other reforms, but that task is proving difficult. asked the president “One Hundred Days of Atonement”later promised to assess the situation – the deadline expires on the national holiday, July 14 – with Borne presenting a plan with other measures to be adopted by then.
“The page will not turn until the pension reform is rolled back. The determination to win is intact,” said CGT Secretary General Sophie Binet during the demonstration in Paris. “The mobilization is still very, very strong,” said French Democratic Labor Confederation (CFDT) leader Laurent Berger. “It is a sign that resentment and anger are not abating,” he added. For the first time since 2009, the eight main French confederations called for protests in France.
Violence
The protests were again marked by violence. In the middle of the afternoon, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Twitter that a police officer in Paris was in serious condition after being hit by a Molotov cocktail. “If the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, especially in Paris, Lyon and Nantes, the police are facing extremely violent bandits who came with one goal: to kill police officers and attack other people’s property,” the minister wrote, reiterating that this violence must “to be condemned without reservation”. Borne also condemned the violence.
The Ministry of the Interior later said that at least 108 officers were injured – 20 of them in Paris alone. In Praça da Nação, police used water cannons and tear gas to contain the crowd, and in several areas, protesters smashed shop windows and damaged public areas. An office building under construction was set on fire next to the square. At least 90 people have been arrested in Paris, out of a total of 291 nationwide.
In Lyon, the CFDT denounced the fact that “violent groups” had “instrumentalized” the workers’ parade, without any connection to the trade union struggle. It is estimated that about a thousand radical elements of the so-called “black blocs” headed the parade who were in constant provocation with the police, during which clashes occurred and at least 40 were arrested. Four cars were on fire in the city. In Nantes, at least two cars were destroyed by the flames, 29 people were arrested after clashes with authorities, two dozen officers were injured, as well as several protesters.
Before the protests the police received the green light from the judiciary to deploy drones. On Saturday, Darmanin advised mayors to use these devices to monitor the demonstrations, leading several human rights organizations to try to stop the measure in court. In vain. In Lyon, authorities detained at least two people who were preparing to attack the municipality and who were detected using drones.
Next steps?
The Constitutional Council has already held a shared initiative referendum on pension reforms, but must decide on Wednesday on a second referendum tabled by left-wing senators. Even if passed, the process is complicated, requiring signatures from at least 10% of voters (that’s 4.87 million people) within nine months. And during that time the reform can go ahead and take effect.
Trade unions, meanwhile, should return to dialogue, with Borne opening the doors to workers’ representatives. They had already been summoned to the Matignon Palace on April 5 and left shortly afterwards because of the Prime Minister’s refusal to speak about the controversial pension reform. The meetings should now be bilateral, which could cause divisions between the confederates, as there are those who reject dialogue without withdrawing reform and others who do not want to stop discussing other topics.
Source: DN
