- “We’re tired of a president who doesn’t listen to us, who thinks he’s Louis XIV, who only knows what’s good for this country,” said Michel Donnett, a 72-year-old pensioner from a Paris suburb.
- Across the country on Thursday, more than 200 people were arrested and 149 police were injured during protests, French daily Le Figaro reported.
- Pension reform is one of President Macron’s central projects. The government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64
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In the evening, sharp clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in the square of the Paris Opera, where the protest against the reform to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 ended. Demonstrators set fire to a kiosk, and police, who were pelted with Molotov cocktails, objects and firecrackers by protesters, launched repeated counterattacks and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
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After police dispersed the protesters in Opera Square, they began looking for a new place to gather. Later, 20 and 58 people were arrested in Paris, police said.
119,000 people protested in Paris on Thursday, according to police figures. People, this is the highest number since the protests began in January. Across France, 1.08 million people took to the streets, according to the interior ministry, and 3.5 million, according to unions. Attendance records were broken in many cities.
Polls cited by the AP show a majority of French people oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary for the system to work.
“We’re tired of a president who doesn’t listen to us, who thinks he’s Louis XIV, who only knows what’s good for this country,” Michel Donettu, a 72-year-old pensioner from a Paris suburb, said, as quoted by AFP.
Across the country on Thursday, more than 200 people were arrested and 149 police were injured during protests, French daily Le Figaro reported.
“The very strong mobilization in today’s demonstrations, especially in medium-sized cities, is a strong signal confirming massive French opposition to pension reform,” tweeted Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Assembly.
AFP recalls that the latest round of protests came a day after Macron broke his silence on the pension issue, saying he was willing to accept a drop in his ratings because the law was “necessary” and “in the public interest of the country”.
At a rally in Paris, the French agency writes, many said they had voted for Macron in last year’s elections, though they insisted they did so to keep the far-right out of power, rather than to back promised pension reform.
Pension reform is one of President Macron’s central projects. The government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. In addition, the number of years for which the full pension is payable should be rapidly increased. This will avoid the impending shortfall in the pension fund. Unions consider the scheme unfair and brutal.
Another day of protests and demonstrations is planned for Tuesday, March 28. Unions have also called for local rallies this weekend.
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