PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators stormed the streets of France on Thursday (April 6) to protest and strike against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
In the afternoon, brawls erupted in several cities, including Paris, where militant protesters briefly set the awnings of a restaurant highly praised by the president on fire.
President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently visiting China, has raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 and has made it one of the biggest challenges in his second term over his main pension reforms, including requiring him to work longer to get his full payout. facing.
All sides in the stalemate await a verdict on April 14 on the effectiveness of the reforms by France’s Constitutional Council.
While members of the council, known as the “wise men,” make decisions in line with a strict interpretation of the law, the union hopes to show that the protest movement born in January still holds power. increase.
“We are in the midst of a social crisis, a democratic crisis,” Laurent Berger, president of the centrist CFDT union, told RTL radio.
“This is a problem … the president needs to solve it.”
Demonstrations were held across the country, from Paris to the southern cities of Montpellier and Marseille, with people waving placards and waving union flags.
“We haven’t given up yet and we won’t give up,” said 50-year-old civil servant Davy Chretien as he marched in Marseille.
The CGT union claimed 400,000 people took part in the Paris protests.