The protests in France against the pension reform have again led to riots in several cities. 175 of the approximately 13,000 police officers and gendarmes who were deployed on Tuesday were injured, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter on Wednesday night. According to a preliminary balance sheet, 201 people were arrested. According to media reports, there were riots and property damage not only in Paris, but also in Nantes, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux, Calais, Dijon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Caen. Police used water cannon and tear gas in some places.
Hundreds of thousands protested against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform on Tuesday. The Ministry of the Interior spoke of around 740,000 participants nationwide. According to the CGT union, more than two million people took part in the protest. The protests, which have been peaceful for weeks, have recently been overshadowed by massive violence and clashes.
The protests are directed against the gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. With the reform, the middle government wants to close an impending gap in the pension fund. The dispute aggravated because the government pushed the text without a vote by the National Assembly. A week ago, two motions of no confidence in the government failed. The reform has thus been passed. It will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council. Macron wants the reform to come into force by the end of the year. Despite the ongoing protests, the government is not in sight.
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