Serious riots during mass protests against pension reform
Rioters also set fire to a bicycle rental station on the sidelines of the demonstrations in Paris
Namely: AFP / ALAIN JOCARD
In Paris, hundreds of thousands took to the streets again on May Day to protest the pension reform undertaken by the Macron government. Some set cars and rubbish bins on fire. The police used tear gas and water cannon.
nAfter a nationwide mobilization of trade unions, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in France on May 1 against President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform. There were many riots. Arrests and injuries were reported in Paris and other major cities, and police used tear gas and water cannons. The demonstrators set cars and garbage bins on fire and smashed the windows of banks and shops.
The first clashes broke out and 30 people were arrested in Paris this afternoon. France Info reported that an officer was seriously wounded by an incendiary device. Property damage and arson also occurred in Lyon. Rioting was also reported from Nantes. In the capital and other major cities, the police used drones to monitor the situation for the first time.
Unions called for more than 300 rallies in large cities and small towns. According to their statements, the authorities counted about 782,000 demonstrators across the country. On the other hand, trade unions spoke of 2.3 million participants.
“Macron resigns,” read the banner that the demonstrators raised from the statue in Republic Square on the occasion of Labor Day.
Source: dpa / Aurelien Morissard
It was expected that the number of demonstrators could reach 100,000 in Paris alone. In Paris, demonstrators threw projectiles at police officers and smashed storefronts. Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons. According to the authorities, a police officer suffered severe burns to his face and hands from a Molotov cocktail. At least 46 people were arrested in the capital.
The latest nationwide protests against pension reform erupted two weeks ago, after Macron officially raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. The fact that the government pushed through the reform without a vote in parliament, using a special clause, is also infuriating.
The demonstrators are chanting for President Macron and the prime minister holding a banner that reads, “I am king, you are nothing.”
Source: dpa / Thibault Camus
Parades on May Day in France usually gather between 100,000 and 160,000 people across the country. Now, however, the labor unions have declared May 1 to be another day of protest over the president’s reform.
Macron’s centrist government would like to see the now-determined pension reform finished, but unions and parts of the opposition continue to protest to prevent it from being implemented from September 1.
The last moments before repair
The question now is whether the May Day demonstrations will be the last major marches against pension reform. The number of participants had already been declining beforehand, and there were also signs of the common front of the trade unions disintegrating.
For the first time in years, the major trade unions have joined forces in the fight against reform. When it comes to the question of whether and when to heed the government’s offers of dialogue again, a different path is emerging.
On the other hand, Macron and his government want to move on to other issues as soon as possible. Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne on Wednesday presented a 100-day program with steps for improvement in areas such as education, health and homeland security. It remains to be seen whether the government will get away with it. Since last summer’s elections, she no longer has an absolute majority in parliament.
