The protests against the pension reform multiplied this Saturday in France, after the President Emmanuel Macron imposed it by decree this Thursday after verifying that it did not have the necessary votes for its approval in the lower house.
The authorities prohibited the rallies in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, located in front of the National Assembly (Lower House), as well as in the Champs Elysees, after two nights of demonstrations that led to incidents with hundreds of arrests.
The ban was adopted “because of the serious risks of disturbance of public order and security“, says a police statement released by the AFP news agency.
Protests against Macron’s reform
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one night of fury
On Saturday night, police repressed protests in the capital with tear gas and detained at least 71 people. According to the authorities, the intervention was against “rioters who are trying to create barricades and set fire to garbage cans.”
A group of protesters broke into the Halles shopping center, according to videos posted on social networks, in which they are seen entering the premises of the shopping center despite the opposition of security guards.
Pending the new day of massive protests called by the unions next Thursday, the Sector strikes slow down the activity of the second largest economy in the European Union (EU) and tons of garbage pile up in its main cities.
Macron’s decision to approve the reform by resorting to a constitutional provision that allows him to skip the legislative vote gave impetus to popular outrage, which had been declining in recent days.
The move added a political crisis to the social one already facing the president, less than a year into his second five-year term.
protest and censorship
Deputies from opposition forces presented two motions of censure, which will be discussed from Monday. The approval of any of them (something unlikely in principle) would annul the presidential decree and force the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to submit her resignation.
One of the motions of no confidence against the government was presented by the independent parliamentary group LIOT and another by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, defeated by Macron in the second round of the last two presidential elections.
The two motions of censure
Deputies from opposition forces presented two motions of censure, which will be discussed starting Monday. The approval of any of them (something unlikely in principle) would annul the presidential decree and force the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to submit her resignation.
One of the motions of no confidence against the government was presented by the independent parliamentary group LIOT and another by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, defeated by Macron in the second round of the last two presidential elections.
The reform that ignited the protests in the country aims to delay the retirement age from 62 to 64 years by 2030 and advance to 2027 the requirement to contribute 43 years (and not 42 as now) to collect a full retirement.
The reform that ignited the protests in the country intends to delay the retirement age from 62 to 64 years by 2030 and advance to 2027 the requirement to contribute 43 years (and not 42 like now) to collect a full pension.
But the turmoil has innumerable foci and shows no sign of abating.
The largest oil refinery in France, located in Normandy, in the northeast of the country, paralyzed its facilities last night and other companies are expected to follow suit starting Monday, union sources reported.
He Minister of Industry, Roland lescureindicated that the Government could order personnel requisitions, a measure that forces essential personnel to return to work, to avoid fuel shortages.
Requisitions of garbage collectors from Paris were also ordered to begin clearing some 10,000 tons of waste that accumulates on the streets of the capital due to a strike in the sector.
In addition to Paris, marches were called in Marseille, Brest, Toulon and Montellier, among other major cities.
Paris accumulates 10,000 tons of garbage on its streets due to protests
Ten thousand tons of waste were accumulated on the streets of Paris this Friday because of a strike by garbage collectors against the unpopular pension reform of the French president.
The new estimate, up from 7,600 tons earlier in the week, came after Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said requisitions of strikers were working, referring to a measure forcing essential workers to return to their jobs.
“From today, from this morning, this requisition works and allows this garbage to be collected,” he said on the RTL Darmanin network, although the environment of the socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo denied it, stating that “no truck left from the public side.”
The municipal employees of the garbage collection service began a strike 12 days ago and the blockade of the capital’s incinerators. These guarantee the collection of half of the 20 districts of Paris, while the rest is in charge of private companies, which continued to work and some signed contracts to clean the affected areas.
“We have not had any trucks in the districts with public collection,” confirmed Delphine Bürkli, mayor of the IX district, who asked to mobilize the “army to clear the streets.”
The workers in this sector consulted by the AFP news agency declared that they were determined to continue with the forceful measure until Monday, especially when the adoption by decree of the unpopular reform reactivated the protests.
“Garbage collectors have twelve years less life expectancy and sewage workers seven years less. With two more years we are going to die on the job,” warned Frédéric Aubisse, a 54-year-old sewer worker.