Mobilization throughout the national territory. 12,000 policemen deployed, 5,000 in the capital alone. In Paris, the platforms of the Gare de Lyon and terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle airport are busy. Roussel: “Do everything to block the country”
Ninth day of trade union mobilization against the pension reform in France. Today’s mobilization, to which nearly half a million people are participating throughout the country (70,000 in Paris alone), is considered a crossroads after the declarations on TV by Emmanuel Macron, who reaffirmed its intention to go to the end with the reform excluding the “withdrawal” of the law; words considered «fuel on the fire» by the unions.
«When there is a conflict of this type, the role of the President of the Republic is to calm the game. Yesterday he threw a petrol can on it – the unions made it known -. It is enough for me to speak like this two more times and the country is at a standstill».
Yesterday’s interview with Macron, which lasted about 35 minutes, was the first since the final adoption of the disputed pension reform, a consequence of the government surviving votes on two no-confidence motions on Monday by a handful of votes .
Fabien Roussel, general secretary of the PCF (the French Communist Party), asked the protesters to do “everything to block the country. Macron behaves like a criminal. I ask activists to block work tools and also the streets »
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Accident in Paris, Rennes, Nantes and throughout France
The first incidents took place in Lyon and Rennes, where the police intervened with water cannons to disperse the troublemakers, while in Nantes, where 25,000 people took to the streetsofficers used tear gas.
The Interior Ministry has deployed 12 thousand policemena number never reached in these two months of protest, of which 5,000 in the capital alone.
Paris protesters have blocked the platforms of the Gare de Lyon railway stationhindering arrivals and departures, while another group has denied access to terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle airport, forcing travelers to walk to the airport. The authorities have decided to close the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Palace of Versailles looking at the groups of
“breaker” who hide in the procession and then commit vandalism and – as has been happening for several days now – set the bins overflowing with rubbish on fire.
While waiting for the procession, the first tensions erupted in Paris in the Place de la République where the police responded with tear gas to stone throwing.
? ALERT – First tensions underway at #Paris : projectiles, tear gas then warnings. Incidents. #greve23mars #manif23mars pic.twitter.com/QPGTrGBK0V
— Clement Lanot (@ClementLanot) March 23, 2023
The Ministry of Education announced 78 high schools blocked, against the 48 registered during the mobilization of March 7, and a 23.22% participation rate in the protests by teachers. The SNCF, a public rail transport company, announced a strike participation among its employees of 25% at noon, similar to that in the energy group Edf, at 25.3%. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter defined the “attacks” and “degradations” against the police station of the Lorient department as “unacceptable”.
A start of fire along the police station threatens the building to catch fire. The right wing of the police station is already starting to catch fire. @TelegLorient pic.twitter.com/Txpr0WvNx7
— Alice Gleizes (@aliceglz_) March 23, 2023
Updated news…
March 23, 2023 (change March 23, 2023 | 16:10)
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