France Protests Over Retirement Age
Youth join mass protests across France over state pension bill | Photo Credit: Christophe Ena/The Associated Press via NBC
A series of protests have been raging throughout France, garnering hundreds of thousands of protesters in opposition to the minimum retirement age being raised.
French President Emmanuel Macron signed a bill into law on Apr. 14 to raise the age to receive a state pension from 62 to 64 years old. Previously, Macron’s government used Article 49.3, a special constitutional power, to implement this unpopular retirement pension plan. It allowed him to pass his pension bill through the lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, without needing the National Assembly to vote in favour of it.
Ever since then, there has been continued civil unrest in France. Trade unions have stated that over a million protesters have fought against Macron and his political party’s decision to bypass Parliament and raise the retirement age. The majority of protesters have acted peacefully, marching through the streets of French cities including Strasbourg, Toulouse, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Paris.
However, there are other techniques that French protesters have used. According to Le Monde, waste disposal workers went on strike on Mar. 6, leaving trash to pile up in the streets and stink up cities. Along with that, protesters have been starting fires throughout France in places such as President Macron’s favourite restaurant and the Bordeaux town hall, as reported by BBC. City News also revealed that 13 people were arrested earlier this month for dumping gas and electricity meters outside the Marseilles City Hall.
Even before Macron implemented Article 49.3, people were protesting against the pension reform plans. On Jan. 19, a week after Macron’s political party announced their plans, the first organized demonstration against the decision occurred. Over a million people throughout France went on strike and marched down streets, blocking traffic, stopping trains, and disrupting schools. Since January, eight of the largest trade unions have been organizing protests, and student unions have joined in as well.
Protests in Paris on May Day | Photo Credit: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg
On Apr. 17, President Macron addressed the nation on television for the first time since signing the pension reform bill. Macron acknowledged that, “anger has expressed itself, and it’s an anger stemming from jobs that don’t pay enough anymore,” and “all this anger was expressed by many French people, and in the vast majority in a calm and respectful manner. No one and especially me can remain deaf to this demand for social justice, and for our democratic life to be overhauled.”
During the televised press conference, Macron also revealed that he and his government had given themselves 100 days to come up with better improvements for France and its people to make up for the unwanted pension reform plans.
However, while Macron was addressing the nation, demonstrators throughout France cities were banging pots and pans in an effort to drown out the voice of President Macron.
A protester bashing a battered pan with a metal spoon told The Guardian, “Macron isn’t listening to us, so we’re not going to listen to him. Not only are we not listening to him, we’re symbolically drowning him out. Pots and pans are the tools of working people so it’s entirely appropriate.”
When President Macron first took office in 2017, he was quickly nicknamed the "president of the rich'' by his political opponents for loosening labor laws and ending a wealth tax. These actions contributed to protests that went on during 2018 to 2020, such as the yellow vest protests, which fought for the rights and equality of the middle and lower class.
Police clash with protestors in Paris on April 13 | Photo Credit: Thomas Samson/AFP via Le Monde
Union activists forced their way into the Paris Headquarters of a luxury goods company LVMH last month, on Apr. 13. They expressed that the French government should tax the rich instead of making French people work for longer in order to retire.
As Sud Rail union leader Fabien Villedieu told Reuters, “You're looking for money to finance pensions? Take it from the pockets of billionaires."
According to France 24 and The Guardian, there was a May Day rally on May 1.
May Day, also called “International Workers Day” or Worker’s Day, is a national holiday in many European countries that celebrates the historical impact and advancements that workers and the labour movement has made.
The rally was organized by trade unions across France that took a violent twist as the Worker Day protests turned into an anti-government demonstration. Over 108 police were injured and 291 protesters were arrested in the chaos.
The interior ministry of France estimated there were 728,000 protesters involved in the May Day rallies, while labour unions such as France's CGT union believe it was higher, at 2.3 million nationwide.
According to France 24, bus stops and shop fronts in Paris were destroyed and vandalized with anti-police notions. While in Lyon, cars were set ablaze and shop windows were smashed in with bricks, and “Black bloc" anarchists threw projectiles at police. Protesters in Nantes gathered garbage bins and lit them on fire in front of the government building. To subdue demonstrators, officers threw tear gas at them in multiple cities, such as Paris, Nantes, and Lyon.
On the day of the May Day protests, at 5:29 p.m., President Macron tweeted, "You get up early to feed us. You promote the know-how of our territories. You contribute to our sovereignty. On this May 1st, to all workers, thank you.”
He did not say anything about the ongoing May Day protests.