1.28mln protested Macron's pension reform plan nationwide: Ministry

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Mar 21:03

France's leading trade union says the number of protesters increased significantly compared to the strike held on February 16, with 700,000 protesting in Paris alone.

A sign reads, "Macron, rioter of the century" in a demonstration against the French government's pension reform plan in Paris, March 7, 2023 (Reuters)

An estimated 1.28 million people demonstrated nationwide on Tuesday against French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to push back the retirement age to 64, the Interior Ministry said.

On its part, the leading French trade union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), confirmed that 700,000 people took part in a nationwide strike against pension reform in Paris alone on Tuesday, French media reported, putting the number of protesters nationwide at 3.5 million.

The CGT highlighted that the number of protesters had increased significantly compared to the strike held on February 16, when 33,000 people took part in the demonstration, as per the BFMTV broadcaster.

Earlier in the day, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported that some of the protesters clashed with law enforcement officers, which used tear gas several times.

In January, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023.

Under the initiative, the French authorities intend to gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64.

The reform has caused a wave of protests in French society. Since Borne's announcement, six nationwide demonstrations against the reform have already taken place in France. The first two, held on January 19 and 31, gathered over 1 million protesters nationwide.

On February 18, the lower house of France's parliament examined the pension plan aiming at raising the country's retirement age from 62 to 64 during what was believed to be the final debate on the issue before submitting it to the Senate.