PARIS (Portal) – Clashes erupted next to a Left Bank brasserie favored by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as protesters set fire to dustbins and destroyed two banks on the eleventh day of nationwide demonstrations against pension reforms.
Bistro La Rotonde, whose awning was set on fire when protesters threw bottles and paint at police, is known in France for hosting a much-criticized feast for Macron as he led the first round of the 2017 presidential election.
Protests against Macron’s second-term flagship reform, which raises the retirement age by two years to 64, began in mid-January and have sparked widespread anger against the president.
Unions Thursday night called for another day of nationwide protests on April 13.
“Strike, blockade, Macron, go!” Protesters chanted in the western city of Rennes, where police fired tear gas at protesters, throwing projectiles at them and setting rubbish bins on fire.
The street protests have become increasingly violent since the government pushed the Pensions Bill without a final vote through Parliament due to a lack of legislative support.
According to police estimates, however, the number of participants could decrease.
Anarchists dressed in black smashed the windows of two banks on Thursday, engaging riot police in cat-and-mouse fighting along the route of the street protests.
A police officer briefly lost consciousness after being hit by a rock on his helmet.
As of 1820 GMT in Paris, a total of 77 police officers were injured and 31 people arrested, police said.
Polls show that a large majority of voters oppose the pension law. But a source close to Macron said that’s not what matters.
“If the role of a President of the Republic is to make decisions according to public opinion, there is no need for elections,” the source said. “Being president means accepting decisions that may be unpopular at a given point in time.”
[1/20] French gendarmes secure a position outside La Rotonde restaurant during a demonstration as part of the eleventh day of nationwide strikes and protests against the French government’s pension reform April 6, 2023 in Paris, France. Portal/Sarah Meyssonnier
“REFORM RESET”
Union leaders and protesters said the only way out of the crisis was to scrap the legislation, an option the government has repeatedly rejected.
“There is no other solution than to withdraw the reform,” said the new chair of the hard-liner union CGT, Sophie Binet, at the beginning of the rally in Paris.
The number of strikes in schools and disruptions to train services was lower on Thursday than a week earlier. About 400,000 people took to the streets to join the protests in Paris, up from 450,000 the week before, according to the CGT. The Home Office said 57,000 people attended in Paris, a sharp drop from the 93,000 reported a week earlier.
Nationwide, 570,000 people demonstrated against the reform on Thursday, compared to 740,000 a week earlier.
The numbers could give some hope to officials who believe the rallies may be losing momentum.
Laurent Berger, leader of the moderate CFDT union, told France 5 television that the numbers were high for an 11th day of protests.
“The real problem is that there is widespread resentment and social anger,” Berger said, adding that he condemned the violence.
A crucial date on this issue is set for April 14, when the Constitutional Council will make its decision on the Pensions Act. Constitutional experts say the council is unlikely to scrap the legislation, which could help weaken the protests.
“The mobilization will continue in one way or another… It’s an endurance race,” said Binet of the CGT.
At the Paris rally, nurse Soraya Bouadouia said: “I will stay here until the pension reform is withdrawn, which is a totally unacceptable reform.”
When Macron was on an official trip to Beijing, a protester held a banner that read: “Macron resigns. You will hear us as far away as China.”
Additional reporting by Stephane Mahe, Silvia Aloisi, Tassilo Hummel, Lucien Libert, Noemie Olive, Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose, Benoit Van Overstraeten; Alain Acco, Dominique Vidalon; writing by Ingrid Melander; Adaptation by Hugh Lawson, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie and Deepa Babington
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.