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LAST UPDATE | 6 Apr 2023
RADICAL PROTESTERS CLASHED with French security forces today in a new show of anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms, with dozens arrested and some starting a fire at one of his favourite restaurants.
While the number of protesters has diminished, unions are keen to maintain almost three months of pressure ahead of a key court ruling next week on the retirement overhaul.
The controversial reforms seek to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, while requiring people to work longer for a full pay-out.
Macron, currently visiting China, is facing the biggest challenge of his second term over the changes, defiantly refusing to budge despite sliding personal popularity ratings.
All sides in the standoff are awaiting an April 14 verdict on the validity of the reform by France’s Constitutional Council, which has the power to strike out some or even all of the legislation.
While council members, known as the “wise ones”, will make a decision in line with a strict interpretation of the law, unions want to show the protest movement still has drive.
Among the crowd, some hardline protesters pelted paint against the shields of heavily equipped policemen outside La Rotonde, a famous Paris brasserie favoured by Macron.
An AFP journalist saw a group of men dressed in black set off fireworks and throw stones toward the eatery.
The fire was caused by a flare thrown onto the fabric awning, and firefighters came to extinguish it.
Macron held a victory party at the restaurant during his successful 2017 election bid.
Elsewhere in Paris, protesters attacked a bank branch, breaking glass and carrying off files and computer keyboards, an AFP correspondent saw.
Some threw projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas. The Paris police headquarters said there had been injuries among officers, without saying how many.
“We’re in the middle of a social crisis, a democratic crisis,” Laurent Berger, head of the centrist CFDT union, told RTL radio.
“It’s a problem… that needs to be solved by the president.”
Protests descended into violent unrest after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on 16 March invoked a controversial executive power to ram the bill through parliament without a vote.
Demonstrations are being held across the country, with people brandishing placards or waving union flags from Nantes in the west to the southern coastal cities of Montpellier and Marseille.
“We haven’t given up yet and we don’t intend to,” said 50-year-old public servant Davy Chretien as he marched in Marseille.
In the western city of Nantes, rumbling tractors joined the parade of marchers and thick clouds of police tear gas were deployed against demonstrators.
Public radio France Bleu reported that police tear gas also was fired to disperse demonstrators in the Brittany city of Rennes.
At Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, about 100 demonstrators blocked a road leading to terminal one on Thursday and entered the terminal building, the airport operator said.
It said flights were unaffected, but travellers with their luggage had to weave their way past flag-waving protesters.
A CGT representative at the airport, Loris Foreman, told BFM-TV that the demonstrators wanted “to show the world and Europe that we don’t want to work to 64 years old”.
Striking railway workers stormed the former headquarters of the Credit Lyonnais bank in central Paris, a famed building that now houses companies including the BlackRock investment firm, setting off smoke flares and whistling in a 20-minute action.
The striking workers had less of an impact on transport services than during previous days of protests. But the marches around the country showed that opposition to the pension reform remains strong.
Unions said a meeting with Borne on Wednesday made no progress after she refused to discuss going back on the minimum retirement age of 64.
“It’s clearly a failure when the prime minister won’t even allow a way into that discussion,” said Cyril Chabanier, speaking on behalf of the country’s eight main unions after they walked out barely an hour into the talks.
It was the first such gathering between the two sides since the government presented the contentious pensions bill in January.
Despite refusing to budge on the issue, Borne said she would not move forward with any other labour topics “without social partners”.
Berger said Wednesday that France was experiencing “a grave democratic crisis”.
Macron is to remain for the rest of the week in China, where an aide denied this allegation given that the pension change was in the president’s manifesto during his re-election campaign last year.
“You can’t speak of a democratic crisis when the bill has been enacted, explained to the public and the government is taking responsibility for it,” said the aide, asking not to be named.
Union chiefs called for French people to take to the streets and strike en masse today.
However, turnout in the previous round of strikes and protests last Tuesday was down on the week earlier.
A record number of people, more than 1.2 million, marched against the reform nationwide on 7 March.
Sophie Binet, the new leader of the CGT trade union, called for more protests and strikes.
“We have to continue mobilising until the end, until the government understands there is no way out other than withdrawing this reform,” she said.
“The government will not be able to govern the country until this reform is repealed.”
The Paris metro system for the first time on a strike day experienced minimal disruption, and across the country only one in four high-speed trains was cancelled.
Students picketed outside schools and universities in several cities, but the education ministry said only eight percent of schoolteachers were on strike.
Activists on Wednesday unfurled a banner at the top of the capital’s landmark Arc de Triomphe, reading “No to 64″.
The government has argued that the changes are necessary to prevent the pensions system from plunging into deficit.
In the rest of Europe, people mostly retire in their late sixties as life expectancy has increased.
Critics say the pensions reform is unfair for workers in tough jobs who start their careers early, as well as women who interrupt their work life to raise children.
If the Constitutional Council gives its green light on 14 April, Macron will be able to sign the changes into law.
But the standoff has eroded his popularity, with a poll suggesting Wednesday far-right leader Marine Le Pen would beat him if the presidential election of last year were repeated now.
The survey from the Elabe group for the BFMTV news channel indicated Le Pen would score 55% and Macron 45% if they faced each other in a run-off vote.
© AFP 2023, with additional reporting from the Press Association
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Support the working “middle”.
@rb: that wud make too much sense
@rb: what about the working poor
@Willie Marty: Personally, I think it’s as long as you are working….but the working poor can get some form of social welfare, as bad as it is. Some of the working middle are entitled to nothing at all. I know of one family that springs to mind where the wife had to leave work to take care of her infirm Mother, but because her husband earns barely over the threshold, she is entitled to niether care’s allowance or dole, regardless of the PRSI contributions made.
@Willie Marty: yep
@Joe x: I earn 36k. I am entitled to nothing from welfare.
Last budget I got nothing while middle and higher earners got tax cuts and low(er) income earners got higher supports.
I pay PAYE and prsi too. Can I not get something too please
@: I’m not going to argue with you. The only reason I know about that family is because we work together at the same level, so I know what would happen to me if I was in his position. Are you saying there are now 4 tiers? Remember, the wage we earned was barely above the threshold for his wife to be refused,
@Joe x: I know what you mean. I care for my disabled child and my husband got a €20 per week raise, when I let the carers office know about this as I am legally required to, they reduced my payment by €20! Carers allowance should not be means tested on a partners salary. It’s hard and isolating work that saves the state millions and some carers are entitled to nothing.
FFG OUT
I’m a middle earner what tax cuts did we get last year.
Seriously what is the story with journal closing all comments ?
I think ppl need to be very open minded and think about the msm approach to what happened in Israel !!
The most prepared nation in the world for immediate war, with sensor detection systems that can pick up under ground movements, and overground with thermal, night capability and motion detection cameras, misses hundreds of fighters from an organisation which its intelligence services have infiltrated at all levels misses an attack of this size ??
Also happens to be excellent timing for the Israeli PM who is under massive internal pressure while trying to force through legislation against the judiciary and mass public protest. War suits him
I condemn the violence on both sides but I find it hard that Israel misses this !
@R B: it is odd. How (why) did the Israelis not pick this up? But regarding the journal closing comments, why leave them open, given the nature and quality of some of the posts which merely serve to reduce the site to platform for the worst kind of ill informed hate fuelled drivel? Let them use the tabloid sites or social media, the new MSM pushing radically conservative views.
@R B: The media is the Enemy of the People – Donald Trump
Dictator go to 101
@R B: Israel needs an enemy, always has, it’s got so many internal warring factions. During the 2nd intifada this was a well stated dilemma, seems not much has changed. Anyway, regardless of how it was put together a right wing fascist govt was always going to instill a response at some stage. The final death tolls will not bode well for the people of Gaza. I fear for them.
@R B: We thank your great publications for their continued support in our efforts.
“By way of deception, thou shalt do war.”
I have nothing but contempt for these people.
Wasters, living on the dole and SW. Well able to work but couldn’t be arrsed. My tax dollars funding their lifestyle. You’re right mate, nothing but contempt.
@If you’re: except we use euro in this country and also, id happily pay for the wasters on the dole as u call them then fund the lifestyles of the likes of RTE management, spend another cent on the HSE budget while its management continue to flush 24 billion down the toilet with very little in return every year or pay the likes of the management of CIE massive wages while we cant even get decent public transport to large parts of the country……but ya its all the dole heads fault
Paschal with the can of coke…….he must have been on the razz whilst watching the game last night!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Coke Zero – not much help for a hangover.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Leo walking very funny too
They have already taken about 2000e per person off us this year so to give a 1000e back is supposed to be a good thing. Year after year it’s the same crap, they only feather their own nest.
It will be a Give a little Take a little budget. October 2024 will see an election budget.
@Garreth Byrne: if they last that long! The Greens are becoming disgruntled because they see the writing on the wall for them. All while FFG are trying to survive a voter cull due to the austere & contemptuous treatment of hard working people of this country! My message to the government is as a married man in his forties working 100+ hours a week single income to provide for my family due to the excessive taxes & lack of cost regulation is remember the dole leeches don’t vote in droves! The social contributors do ( workers, squeezed middle ) & our day is coming.
FFG have a shocking disregard for us . If you work in Ireland your screwed. If your a pensioner you are also screwed.
I would prefer to see the pitiful few euros they throw to us to be amalgamated and for pensioners to get an extra €50 pw
Is there anything for single people earning between 27 to 37k a year ??
@zy: just like last year, No
@zy: not a tosser
@zy: a few bob towards you’re electric bill for a while and take it back off you with extra through tax increase on fuel indefinitely,in one hand out the other and empty whatever else is in you’re pockets aswel,cheers ffg
@zy: not a hope, single people are almost forgotten in Ireland when it comes to most things…..
A lot of our money going toward Ukrain as one fifth of their country occupied by Russia meanwhile our government supports Israel who murdered hundreds in the Gaza Strip same as they supported British murders in the north of our country,
@Fran Riley: We also let the US ship all the weapons they sell to Israel though our airspace and some stop over in Shannon. All US flights carrying weapons should be refused entry to Irish airspace.
As much as they say only certain things can be done it depends where they put those certain supports. I have not seen much talk of carers or oap allowence going up just universal welfare payments. Middle class again will be left with the bare minimum after all is said and done. Just seen there will or may be allowences for businesses to offset minimum wage increase which is wrong I work for a small business and it is thriving and can well afford to absorb the cost it should be based on net yearly profit. Just don’t get some of the decisions of the gov. They always say you can’t please everyone and they have screwed us middle class for years on budget so how about screwing someone else for once and appease us.
@Karl Pilkington: some won’t even be getting that I heard of a company saying they’d be letting people go and reducing hours and they’re making plenty of it of course,greed and more greed naturally.
Support the people paying tax who earn under 30k
@Shane O Mac: exactly 100% they’re hung out to dry and work in most common jobs needed shops etc just getting by by the skin of they’re teeth as usual.
Great lads have an owl chat and head to the dail bar,don’t even worry bout paying for the drink never has been,living the dream would closely describe they’re lives mega salaries and no responsibility if anything goes wrong a lump sum and pension regardless,something else
FREE GAZA
Keep the few euros and build house’s maybe shorten the time for operations,
Get enough student school bus seats,
reduced the price of fuel.
Try and keep our youth at home.
All seem reasonable requests.
Wonder what’s driving the population growth…
@damien leen: don’t think it’s child birth rate as that’s dropping according to statistics,possibly due to people unable to afford homes to raise them in perhaps?then again that’s probably nonsense there’s hardly a housing crisis going on if there was I’d imagine it’d be taken seriously and an influx of people arriving would at least be slowed down to control it somewhat to meet demand for everyone’s benefit,buts that’s pure nonsense I suppose
@damien leen: the ones who know how to scalp the system
As with all governments past now and future they continue to look at the now and let the inherent inequalities continue its absolutely incredible that your a euro over the means test for carers allowance you are rejected yet you cannot go out to work giving 24/7care yet it’s based partners job
Comments aren’t closed. Stunned
@Gareth Byrne: I think they’re banking on good will from the budget this year and 2024, maybe thousands of new homes coming onto the market next year, see how the European and local elections go in 2024 and cross their fingers SF get caught in something unpleasant
How are they ( Government) going to ensure that rising costs will not be passed onto the consumer.
Every business be it Hotels/Bars/Restaurants or service industries are gouging the consumer.
What & how are our consumer watchdogs (Quangos) going to do about it
Feck all
You can be guaranteed one thing whatever meger crumbs we get ‘ Irish businesses & the tax man will get it
It’s a giveaway – not interested in proper governance – look at country and the way things are managed!! Problem is no real alternative just paddy politics very much alive and kicking
Families are getting evicted and they can’t find another home, because there isn’t enough houses to rent.
If you earned 2000 U.S dollars an hour since Christ’s birth you would still have 80 people richer than you in the U.S. It’s totally obvious that people on welfare are the problem because every billionaire in the world has earned every cent. Get a grip, stop punching downwards and look upwards to where the real problems lie.
Painful O D!
On another headline, why had a guard cannabis that was evidence in his locker is there not a secure lockup for evidence in the station ?
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