Opposition attempts to call off Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans in parliament failed on Monday. After months of disagreement, reform in France is now officially a foregone conclusion. However, protests against the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64 continue. France’s Human Rights League is concerned about repeated riots: “We are in a particularly worrying situation for democracy and in the face of police brutality that can only exacerbate the situation.”
Since the center government under President Emmanuel Macron decided last Thursday to push through the controversial reform without a vote in the National Assembly, there have been protests every night in several cities. Law enforcement officers used tear gas. Hundreds were arrested. Protesters accuse the police of violence. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of dozens of injured security forces.
Allegations of violence against emergency services
French League for Human Rights president Patrick Baudoin stressed on Wednesday that many of the unannounced demonstrations had been largely peaceful until emergency services intervened. People were also arrested to prevent them from protesting. This is a violation of the freedom of demonstration. Police officers also acted extremely violently.
Macron wants to express himself on television
The government accused Baudoin of blindness and deafness. To smooth things over, President Macron wants to address the pension reform in a TV interview on Wednesday. In the run-up, those around him had said that a dissolution of parliament or a government reshuffle was by no means planned.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
