Pension reform: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in several French cities to "show strength" on the eve of a crucial decision of the Constitutional Council
450,000 demonstrators demonstrated in the French capital only, according to the Central Trade Union (CGT), while the authorities estimated the number of participants across the country between 400,000 and 600,000 on the twelfth day of the series of protests against pension reform that began at the beginning of the year.
This field move comes to “show strength,” as the trade unions said, a day before a decisive decision by the Constitutional Council regarding this project, while the leftist leaders present in the Paris march confirmed that the protest will not stop, regardless of the decision of the Constitutional Council.
On a new day of protests, opponents of pension reform in France took to the streets Thursday, but in smaller numbers. This move comes on the eve of the decisive decision of the Constitutional Council regarding this project, which has become a symbol of Emmanuel Macron's second presidential term.
After about three months of protest, the authorities expect between 400,000 and 600,000 demonstrators across the country, compared to 570,000 on April 6 and 740,000 on March 28.
For its part, the Central Trade Union of Workers (CGT) spoke of 400,000 demonstrators in Paris alone, but the difference in numbers is usually large with those published by the Ministry of the Interior.
As almost always, there were clashes with the police. In Nantes (west), where 10,000 people demonstrated according to the police and 25,000 according to the unions, demonstrators threw projectiles at the police, who responded by firing tear gas.
In the capital, protesters briefly stormed the headquarters of the luxury company LVMH on the Champs-Elysées, using smoke bombs.
Large numbers of security forces were deployed in the vicinity of the Constitutional Council, which is based in the Palais Royal in central Paris.
The police arrested four people after a brief siege of the place with garbage cans and smoke bombs, on Thursday morning.
The Paris police chief issued an order banning, from 16:00 GMT Thursday until 06:00 GMT Saturday, any demonstration near this institution.
It is expected that members of the Constitutional Council will announce on Friday whether they support or reject, in part or in whole, the reform, which is an important change and provides for raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
For his part, government spokesman Olivier Veran affirmed that "the Constitutional Council should enjoy calm," and demanded that "(its decision) be respected by everyone." "we will meet again"
However, the disturbances appear to be much less than those witnessed at the beginning of the mobilization in the transport sectors, from railways to aviation and subways.
The percentage of striking public sector employees decreased to 3.8% from 6.5% on April 6, according to the authorities.
Refinery employees also moved, but without significantly disrupting their activity.
On the other hand, the General Labor Union called on workers in the field of garbage collection in Paris for a new strike, starting from Thursday, that could be renewed. The movement of those workers who did not collect garbage for three weeks in the French capital in March was one of the most prominent manifestations of the crisis.
For her part, the Secretary General of the Union, Sophie Binet, said of the waste incinerator in Ivry-sur-Seine near Paris, which was closed again by the demonstrators, "This is not the last day of mobilization, we will meet again often."
The leftist leaders present in the Paris march also affirmed that the protest will not stop, regardless of the decision of the Constitutional Council.
In Toulouse (southwest), Veronique Gutani, 60, one of the crews on the ground at Air France, participated in all the demonstrations and still hopes to "make the government back down", but she knows in advance the decision.
"Given his formation (6 out of 9 members of the Constitutional Council were appointed during the Emmanuel Macron era), we do not expect any positive result," she said.
"consensual spirit"
After the government passed the law without a vote on March 20 based on a constitutional text that allows it, Friday's Constitutional Council decision will be the last step before the text is published in the Official Gazette and enters into force. Macron wants to start implementing it by the end of this year.
It seems unlikely that the assembly, which is tasked with ensuring the constitutionality of laws, will reject the reform entirely. However, members of the Constitutional Council, on the other hand, can dilute the text in a broad or limited way, and strengthen the arguments of the joint trade union front in favor of suspending or withdrawing the reform.
The council is also supposed to consider the possibility of accepting a referendum requested by the left-wing opposition, a procedure that should collect 4.87 million signatures to allow for a popular consultation on the text.
And from the Netherlands, Macron extended his hand to the unions with which he maintains very tense relations, proposing to them a meeting in a "spirit of compromise" after the decision of the Constitutional Council.
France is one of the European countries that adopts the lowest retirement age, although the retirement systems are not similar and cannot be completely compared.
Opponents of the reform consider the amendment "unfair", especially for women and workers in difficult jobs.
The executive authority justifies the project by the need to respond to the financial deterioration of pension funds and the aging of the population.
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