French Unions took to the streets on Thursday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's proposed higher retirement age, leading over a million people to march through several cities.
The demonstrations and corresponding strikes have resulted in the halting of trains, blocking refineries, and curbing power generation. The leading trade unions in France called for a second day of strikes on Jan. 31, 2023, to force Macron and his government to revert their proposal.
French Unions Lead Massive Protests
In a joint statement, the unions said that the French government now finds itself with its back against the wall. They added that every citizen now knew that raising the retirement age would only work to benefit employers and the wealthy.
The protests are a significant hurdle for President Macron, who on Thursday said that his planned pension reform was "just and responsible." He added that the overhaul was necessary to help keep government finances on a sound footing. However, opinion polls showed that the majority of French citizens opposed the proposed measure, as per Reuters.
There were roughly 1.1 million protesters who took to the streets on Thursday in scores of demonstrations across the country, said the Interior Ministry. Officials added that it was more than during the first wave of street protests when Macron initially tried to pass the reform back in 2019 before it was shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Law enforcement personnel who met with protesters fired tear gas during clashes with hooded youths on the fringe of the Paris rally while making several dozen arrests. One large banner carried by French workers in Tours, in the west, read, "It's salaries and pensions that must be increased, not the retirement age."
A 53-year-old social worker, Isabelle, said that she would soon have to prepare her walking frame if the planned reform pushes through. She noted that her work needed to be easier to add two more years before retirement.
Opposing Pension Reform
Despite the massive protests and Macron's acknowledgment of public discontent, he said they needed to push through with the measure because it is the only way to "save" French pensions. According to the Associated Press, the French president added that they would do it with respect and in the spirit of dialogue.
While Macron was speaking, law enforcement personnel were pushing back against protesters throwing projectiles on the sidelines of the Paris march, which was largely peaceful. Paris police noted that 38 people were taken into custody after a crowd thronged the capital's streets despite the freezing rain.
The protests were led by eight of the biggest unions that called for a "first day of strikes and protests" against the pension reform. The strike included teachers and transport workers who skipped out on work to join the demonstrations. Over 40% of primary school teachers and more than a third of high school teachers went on strike.
France's train lines also saw "severe disruption," said that French rail authority SNCF and metro lines in the capital were hit by complete or partial closures, as revealed by the city transport authority RATP in a Twitter post, said CNN.
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