Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli occupation forces carry out an arrest campaign during a raid on Surif, north of Al-Khalil in the southern occupied West Bank.
Syrian Foreign Ministry: Damascus expresses its gratitude to the countries that voted in the UN General Assembly in favor of ending the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan.
Ushakov: Russia and the United States agreed not to disclose the substance of the Putin–Witkoff talks.
Ushakov: No specific formulas were discussed during the meeting, but rather the essence of what was included in the US documents.
Ushakov: Several proposals and possible plans for a settlement in Ukraine were presented during the meeting.
Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov said the meeting between President Putin and Witkoff was constructive, practical in nature, and highly useful.
Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, and fired at young men as they resisted the raid.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Turkey: A new attack in the Black Sea targets a Georgia-bound Russian ship
Palestinian press sources: Two Israeli occupation soldiers were injured in the operation
Palestinian press sources: The man who carried out the stabbing operation at the entrance to a settlement north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank has been martyred

24,000 Parisians protest Macron televised pension speech, 60 detained

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Apr 2023 17:53
3 Min Read

Darmanin stresses that any upcoming protests would not be intervened with by authorities due to the right to freedom of assembly, "whatever the cause," in the French constitution.

  • x
  • Protesters take part in a demonstration against the French government's pension reform plan, as part of the eighth day of national strike and protests, in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, March 15, 2023 (Reuters)
    Protesters take part in a demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, March 15, 2023 (Reuters)

Following French President Emmanuel Macron's televised address on Monday, over 24,000 Parisians took to the streets again to protest against his address on the pension reform, and police have so far detained around 60 protesters, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday.

Speaking on the LCI broadcaster, Darmanin said, "According to the figures given to me by the prefects, 24,000 people took to the streets yesterday in France — in Paris, Provence, and other regions. About 60 arrests were carried out, but the situation was much less tense than in previous weeks."

However, he stressed that any upcoming protests would not be intervened with by authorities due to the right to freedom of assembly, "whatever the cause," in the French constitution.

Read next: French police violently cracked down on protestors to disperse them

"However, the police cannot allow aggressive manifestations - with arson of garbage, damage to buildings … unacceptable things happened in Lyon yesterday when a building was set on fire," the Minister added.

This comes after Macron stated the obvious by saying that the French society was not accepting of the reform, regretting that "a consensus on it was not found."

"As you know, the Constitutional Council on Friday recognized the pension reform as legitimate. Of course, I immediately promulgated this law. The pension reform will come into force in autumn," Marcon said in his address.

He justified the move by stating that "gradually working more is also producing more wealth for our whole country."

Macron signed the legislation early Saturday, just hours after the banner change to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 had been validated by the constitutional court, prompting accusations he was smuggling the law through in the dead of night.

Parisians gathered at the city halls, drumming on pots with spoons after the speech. In contrast, protesters in Rennes, Nantes, and other cities turned their protests into riots, which law enforcement separated with tear gas. In Lyon, the entrance of a police station was set on fire by protesters. 

The Constitutional Council rejected six minor proposals, including forcing large corporations to publish how many over 55-year-olds they employ and the creation of special contracts for older workers. While the most highly resisted proposal of raising the retirement age by 2 years was approved, the new law would fully raise the age of retirement in France by 2030.

Unions hope that Labor Day on May 1 will produce a "popular and historic tidal wave" of people on the streets to oppose the President's decision.

Read more: Macron takes the last step signing pension reforms into law

  • Paris
  • Protests
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • France
  • Gerald Darmanin
  • pension reform

Most Read

13 elite Israeli troops were wounded in a confrontations in Beit Jinn, Syria.

13 elite Israeli troops wounded in confrontations in southern Syria

  • West Asia
  • 28 Nov 2025
Russia and China are not part of the Resistance Front, but they are playing an important role in building structures to bypass US power and thus facilitate a multipolar and freer world. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

The Resistance Front and BRICS

  • Opinion
  • 29 Nov 2025
Four killed, ten wounded in targeted California shooting in Stockton

Four killed, 10 wounded in 'targeted' California shooting

  • US & Canada
  • 30 Nov 2025
Point-blank killings: 'Israel' executes 2 Palestinian youths in Jenin

Graphic footage: IOF execute 2 Palestinians from point blank in Jenin

  • Politics
  • 27 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Pope Leo XIV waves as he boards a flight back to the Vatican after his visit to Lebanon at Beirut International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Pope Leo urges Trump to avoid military action in Venezuela

Palestinian journalists carry posters and mock coffins with pictures of their colleagues who were killed during the war on Gaza during a symbolic funeral in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, October 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Gaza: 257 journalists killed by Israeli occupation since war began

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a swearing-in event for government-organized community committees at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, December 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Cuba condemns US military threats and intervention in Venezuela

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at Mt. Herzl, in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Thursday, October 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu ties Syria talks to DMZ in occupied Golan Heights

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS