Paris anti-pension reform protests cost city 1.6mln euros in damage

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Apr 2023 16:20
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The mayor's deputy says these costs don't account for repairing damage caused to private property.

A protester kicking a bin into a fire during a demonstration after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, in Paris on March 28, 2023 (AFP)

The total cost of damage in Paris due to protests over the pension reforms since January has amounted to almost 1.6 euros, Vice Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire told French media.

"The 12 demonstrations against pension reform have cost the city budget 1.6 million euros,” Gregoire said, adding that this amount only covers the damage to urban facilities and does not include expenses to repair private property.

City authorities, who were forced to call cleaners after working hours, have so far spent around 536,000 euros just on cleaning streets after the demonstrations.

Moreover, 106,000 euros were spent on repairing fences and flowerbeds, bus stops, and bank fronts.

Repairing destroyed illuminated billboards and press kiosks dominated the shares of costs at around 846,000 euros.

Anti-pension reforms demonstrations have resulted in damage costs exceeding that caused by the Yellow Vests back in 2018 - which cost the city around 1.4 million euros.

In March, the French administration used an emergency constitutional procedure to get the controversial pension bill through parliament, avoiding a vote in the National Assembly.

After France's top court approved the bill, Macron defied requests to postpone its implementation by signing it, infuriating the population.

The main provision of the bill is an increase in the minimum retirement age in France from 62 to 64. It also extends the number of years that people must contribute for a full pension. Macron contends that the measure is necessary to save the pension system from imploding.

French President Emmanual Macron affirmed earlier that the new pension reforms will come into full effect in fall 2023.