Some 500,000 people took to the streets of Paris this Saturday, according to the General Confederation of Workers (CGT), in a new protest against the pension reform planned by the government of President Emmanuel Macron, a figure to which should be added the attendance at the approximately 240 calls for protests throughout France.
The Paris Police Prefecture has reported 94,000 attendees, which in any case would confirm that this is the largest protest since the mobilizations against the pension reform began.
The unions had called on «the entire population» to demonstrate this Saturday «even more massively» than last Tuesday, when some 757,000 people took to the streets throughout France, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, almost two million according to the unions. The declared objective is to «paralyze France» on March 7.
The day of protest was mostly peaceful, but the Police Headquarters reported some material damage. The police intervened on several occasions: in an attempted assault on a bank branch on the Boulevard de Voltaire, then on an insurance agency, then on a fast food restaurant on the Place de Léon Blum.
In addition, «radical elements» attempted to cause damage on Rue de Charonne at the start of a «wild march» shortly after 3:00 pm. Eight people were arrested according to the 4:30 p.m. report from Police Headquarters sent to FranceInfo.
The most notable event has taken place at Orly international airport, south of Paris, where a surprise stoppage has forced the cancellation of half of the flights.
The French government continues to plan to gradually raise the retirement age to 64 years — two years higher than the current 62 — and to increase the contribution period required to qualify for the maximum pension. The text also eliminates specific privileges for certain groups.
However, the Government does not have a guaranteed majority to push through a reform, which has been criticized from both sides of the political spectrum. The former presidential candidate of La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has called on the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, to be «reasonable» and not «authoritarian».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
