In Lyon too, a wild demonstration took place on Thursday evening after the outbreak of 49.3 by Elisabeth Borne. The first rally planned by the unions brought together 3,500 people, according to police counts, in front of the gates of the prefecture. A party, around 1,500 people, then went to the Place des Terreaux for an undeclared rally under the windows of the central town hall, relates our journalist from the Figaro Lyon Antoine Sillieres.
Read alsoPensions: scenes of chaos everywhere in France after the outbreak of 49.3
First festive, the atmosphere degenerated with the presence of thugs who notably stoned the Town Hall. Forty windows were broken according to the entourage of the mayor. Many tags have also been strewn on the facades. Small groups headed for shops in the shopping streets of the Presqu’île, degrading their windows. Street furniture was burned and mortars fired. The police made four arrests, mainly for throwing projectiles at them.
This Friday morning, the cleaning services are hard at work to remove the inscriptions from the facade of the town hall, indicates our journalist Antoine Sillières. The prefect of the Rhône, Fabienne Buccio, thanked the police officers who intervened Thursday evening. It strongly condemns the degradations committed in particular against the Town Hall. Ditto for the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet (EELV), who supports the opposition to the reform but condemns the violence.
«Refusing this unfair pension reform is necessary. But burning, destroying, attacking has no place in this legitimate struggle“, Completed the security assistant Mohammed Chihi on his Twitter account. The leader of the municipal opposition, Pierre Oliver (LR), meanwhile pointed to the violence of thugs against the police.