A thick plume of black smoke rose above the Place de la République, blocking the union procession for long minutes in Rennes. On the ground, a white Mercedes parked in the Vilaine car park was on fire, a few minutes after the passage of the head of the procession mobilized against the pension reform. Surrounded by a tide of curious telephones in hand, the luxurious sedan burned for several minutes, before the firefighters came to extinguish the intense flames, under the protection of the gendarmes.
This Thursday, April 13, the most radical elements of the Rennes demonstration set fire to two vehicles. In addition to the Mercedes, a Tesla car registered in the Netherlands which was parked on the Mitterrand mall was set on fire. Street furniture was also degraded and businesses were tagged. On the mall, the windows of the Lidl supermarket were vandalized. But this time the store was not looted.
Mobilization down slightly
These clashes broke out at the head of the procession formed for this 12th day of national mobilization. According to the prefecture, 6,500 people marched in the Breton capital, 2,000 less than last week. The unions estimate that 15,000 demonstrators were gathered on the eve of the publication of the Constitutional Council’s decision on the pension reform.
Before the start of the demonstration, the police had searched the bags of demonstrators, throwing away protective glasses and masks. According to the prefecture, “several bags filled with stones and cobblestones” were seized.