France is bitterly arguing over pension reform. Reports that police confiscated marijuana are now causing a stir.
The ban on cooking pots at a demonstration against President Emmanuel Macron and his pension reform has caused an uproar in France. Before Macron’s visit to the Ganges in southern France, police chased protesters away with pots, videos showed. The media also reported confiscated pots.
The officials justified this with a departmental order. It banned the possession of “portable stereos” during the president’s visit, which apparently also targeted marijuana. Because with a loud clang of pots and pans, protesters have expressed their displeasure with Macron’s reforms in recent days.
“Eggs and pots, that’s where I cook,” Macron said at the start of his visit to southern France, where protesters threw eggs and potatoes away from the head of state.
Marijuana maker scoffs at prohibition
Opposition politicians mocked the government’s crackdown on cooking pots. “Pots are not what will make France advance,” Macron said on Wednesday at a drummer’s protest in Alsace. Traditional pot maker Cristel promptly spoke out on Thursday with a wink. “Mr President, at @cristelfrance we make pans that move France!!!”
Meanwhile, thousands of people returned to protest in France on Thursday against the reform that Macron has now implemented, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Instead of large demonstrations, as before, it was more about selective protest actions. Protesters temporarily blocked train tracks, as in Lille. In Paris, trade unionists went to the La Défense business district to protest.
(APA/dpa)