The French government has rolled out increased security measures and warnings that violent demonstrators intend to “destroy, hurt and kill”.
Fears that planned demonstrations in the country would be ruined by violence, Interior Minister Gérald Dalmanin said he had dispatched an unprecedented 13,000 officers, nearly half of them in the French capital. explained.
He said more than 1,000 “radical” troublemakers, including those from abroad, may embark on planned peaceful marches in Paris and other cities.
“They come to destroy, maim and kill police and gendarmes. Their goals have nothing to do with pension reform. It’s about letting go.”
Union leaders and political opponents of President Emmanuel Macron are blaming his government for the protest violence that has escalated in recent weeks, saying his pension reforms are causing it. It also alleges police officers have used excessive force against protesters. Police oversight agencies are investigating multiple allegations of misconduct by officers.
Trade unions called for workers to evict and demonstrators flooding the streets against President Emmanuel Macron’s move to return France’s legal retirement age from 62 to 64, sparking strikes and protests. A new wave of action, the 10th since January.
Unable to gain a majority in the lower house of parliament due to unpopular reforms, Macron used his special constitutional powers to ram them in, further fueling the anger of the protesters.
