Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the main cities of France to protest against the pension reform promoted by the government, which proposes, among other measures, to raise the retirement age to 64 years, in a day of strike that has not caused paralysis but has been felt in key sectors such as transport and education.
In Paris, where the largest rally took place, some 400,000 people gathered, according to sources from the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) quoted by BFM TV. Not surprisingly, for the first time in the Emmanuel Macron era, the mobilization had the explicit backing of all the major unions.
The Police Prefecture has confirmed at least 30 arrests during the march in the capital, which was punctuated by some clashes, according to Franceinfo. Part of the demonstrators have thrown objects at the officers, who have responded with tear gas.
Across the country, more than 200 rallies had been called, with some 30,000 people in Toulouse, 26,000 in Marseille, 23,000 in Marseille and 20,000 in Perpignan, among other places. In Lyon, the authorities also made 17 arrests.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, asked from Barcelona, at the end of a summit with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, that the mobilizations should take place «without excesses or violence», after recognizing as «legitimate» the right of thousands of people to demonstrate against the reform.
If there are no changes, the text will come to the table of the Council of Ministers next Monday, January 23. The reform proposes a gradual scenario, so that the legal retirement age will have risen from the current 62 years to 64 in 2030, while the revision of the contribution period will be applied from 2027.
Macron has defended that France is «behind» on this issue compared to the rest of Europe and stressed that the reform is «fair and responsible». He also pointed out that all parties will be able to express themselves and try to «enrich» the text in the parliamentary process, which is expected to be complex.
Former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the French left, has warned from Marseille that Macron «will not last», because he has lost the «battle» of «convincing the people». The reform, in his opinion, «makes no sense».
The unease has also permeated the far right. Macron’s main rival in the 2022 elections, Marine Le Pen, has advocated «fighting» a reform that she considers «unfair and brutal», as she pointed out on her Twitter account on Thursday.
WIDE FOLLOWING The day has started with incidents in public transport, although the Gallic media have reported little influx by travelers who already anticipated what could happen.
The main union in secondary education estimates that 65 percent of the teachers did not show up for work, although the Ministry of Education reduces the figure to less than 35 percent. In primary schools, the government estimates that more than 42 percent of teachers did not work, according to Franceinfo.
The state electricity grid has confirmed a reduction in electricity production as a result of the strikes, while at TotalEnergies refineries, the level of support ranges from 70 to 100 percent, according to the CGT.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
