Tens of thousands protest in France against pension reform

2023-05-01 11:26:00

In numerous large cities and also smaller towns in the province, demonstration trains started on Monday morning. The unions had called for more than 300 rallies. The authorities expected around 500,000 to 650,000 participants nationwide. Up to 100,000 were expected in Paris alone.

The police prepared for feared riots, but at noon the situation was mostly relaxed. In Paris and other major cities, drones should be used for the first time to monitor the situation. Rallies on May Day in France usually gather between 100,000 and 160,000 people across the country.

implementation should be avoided

Macron’s center government would like to see the pension reform that has now been decided as over, but the unions and parts of the opposition are continuing to protest to prevent its implementation from September 1st. The last nationwide protests against the pension reform took place two weeks ago, after Macron had raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. The fact that the government pushed through the reform without a vote in parliament, using a special paragraph, also causes resentment.

The question now is whether the May Day demonstrations will be the last major rallies against pension reforms. The number of participants had already been declining beforehand, and there are also signs that the common front of the trade unions is breaking up.