CGT union warns of stopping oil refinery ops. as riots continue: FR

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Mar 16:09

Protests in France intensify over contested Pension Reform plans ahead of a no-confidence vote, and the workers' union in Normandy threatens to halt all operations at the oil refinery.

Picture taken during riots in Paris, France on March 19,2023, as workers protested the contested Pension Reform plans a day ahead of the no-confidence vote (Social media).

Protests over French President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform plans continue ahead of the crucial no-confidence vote set for Monday.

Photographs widely circulated online showed riot police clashing with demonstrators and employing tear gas against them in Saturday's protests in France, where thousands of demonstrators gathered to oppose the government's pension reform.

Protesters began to demand French President Emmanuel Macron's resignation as soon as they reached the square near the Parliament building, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent.

The streets of Paris are on fire: protests over pension reform are underway in France.
Protesters burn fences and demand the resignation of French President Emmanuel Macron. pic.twitter.com/1IyCVUiiTA
— Mikhail Kulakov (@mikkulakov) March 17, 2023

Certain lawmakers were targeted by protesters, notably the chief of the conservative Republicans party, Eric Ciotti, who had been expected to oppose the no-condifence motions.

In a tweet, Ciotti wrote "The killers who did this want to put pressure on my vote on Monday," alongside pictures depicting his constituency office's smashed windows and threatening graffiti.

Cette nuit ma permanence a été caillassée.

Les nervis qui ont fait ça veulent par la violence faire pression sur mon vote lundi.

Jamais je ne céderai aux nouveaux disciples de la Terreur. pic.twitter.com/8sgs3q85HF
— Eric Ciotti (@ECiotti) March 19, 2023

On Saturday, it was noted that over 80 people were arrested during protests in Paris. Trash bins were set on fire, and rioters destroyed bus stops and erected improvised barricades.

A 33-year-old protester, a telecoms engineer, Romain Morizot told AFP "What do we have left apart from continuing to demonstrate?" Morizot further added, "We'll keep going, we don't have a choice" after the French government used a constitutional provision to bypass a parliamentary vote on pension reform which will "stoke social tensions everywhere."

Until now, in France, protesters had only hindered fuel deliveries, however, the CGT union announced, on Saturday, that workers could halt operations at Normandy's oil refinery, France's largest, and warned that two other oil refineries could be next.

10,000 tons of trash piled up in Paris amid sanitation workers strike

More than 10,000 tons of garbage have piled up in the streets of the French capital of Paris amid sanitation workers' strike in protest of the controversial pension reform, French media reported Friday, citing the Paris mayor's office.

The authorities have tried to force workers to go back to work, but to no avail, as the strike is ongoing with demands for the authorities to make a U-turn on their bids to increase the retirement age.

The symbolic milestone of 10,000 tons of uncollected garbage on the streets of the French capital was reached on Friday afternoon and made headlines all over the country, all the while attracting rats and dismaying tourists.

Furthermore, the prefecture authorities warned of growing volumes of trash in the city of lights, highlighting that such a pile-up could increase sanity risks for the residents, as well as act as a catalyst for the spread of various diseases, the French Le Figaro newspaper reported.

The French government asked on Wednesday Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to order street cleaners to stop protesting against the pension reform and resume their work. However, Hidalgo refused the government's request, arguing that the workers had the right to protest.

The one way forward is launching public dialogue instead of forcing striking workers to resume work, hidalgo stressed.

"This [pension reform] text, created without the participation of employee rights organizations, is especially unfair to people doing the hard work. The demands of the Paris cleaners, who quite legitimately do not want to work two years longer and are protesting it, are fair," Hidalgo tweeted.