Over a million people protested across France on Thursday, opposing the pension reforms that will increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 to cut the pension system’s costs.
Overview
After French President Emmanuel Macron’s government used its executive power to pass the reforms without a vote in the National Assembly last Thursday, workers’ unions launched protests across the country. On Monday, the government led by PM Elisabeth Borne narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Macron has remained adamant that the reforms are necessary for the government to pay pensions to its retired citizens. He also dismissed suggestions to tax bigger and wealthier companies instead, saying that the measures would detrimentally impact the economy.
#ReformesDesRetraites L’entrée de la mairie de #Bordeaux en feu pic.twitter.com/i2AffFVGzd
— Rue89 Bordeaux (@Rue89Bordeaux) March 23, 2023
Thursday’s Protests
Thursday was the ninth day of protests against the proposal, but the first since the reforms were passed last week. Over 119,000 people gathered in Paris alone.
Brawls between protestors and the police occurred in Paris, Nantes, Rennes, Lorient, and Lyon, with reports of attacks on administrative buildings and police stations. The demonstrations turned violent, with the door of the Bordeaux City Hall set ablaze on Thursday evening. Several other such public buildings were vandalised across the country.
Resultingly, one the one hand, police arrested 80, and 123 police officers were injured country-wide.
Avenue de l’Opera, ambiance très tendue. Une personne casse un panneau d’affichage, acclamation de la foule. pic.twitter.com/pTi9DnNZlE
— Victor Tassel (@victor_tassel) March 23, 2023
On the other hand, several protestors were also injured as the police retorted with teargas grenades and batons.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin visited the Paris police headquarters on Thursday night, even as several fires continued in the city’s neighbourhoods. Across the country, 12,000 police officers were deployed to maintain law and order.
He admitted that there had been “enormous degrading” of public infrastructure and commerce, which is “far more important than in precedent demonstrations.” He accused a group of “troublemakers” from the “extreme left” of attempting to take down the police and state institutions.
Really violent scenes at the Paris protest today against the French govt’s pension reforms. Tensions flared from 4pm onwards and riot police fired tear gas and charged several times.
— Catherine Norris Trent (@cntrentF24) March 23, 2023
Many on the streets of Paris I spoke to feel even more defiant after Macron’s TV interview… https://t.co/ywv8K7UEte
Protests Likely to Disrupt King Charles’s Visit
The unions have called for another country-wide protest on Tuesday, when British King Charles is scheduled to visit Bordeaux. However, Darmanin reassured that the British King would be “welcomed and welcomed well” as security “poses no problem.”
The British Monarch will be accompanied by Queen Consort Camilla, both of whom will arrive in Paris for their four-day tour in France.