Fifth protests against pension reform bid taking place in Paris

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Tens of thousands in France are taking part in the fifth nationwide protest over the controversial pension reform bill being currently mulled by the French government, an RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Thursday.

The protests kicked off at 1 PM GMT at the Place de la Bastille in central Paris, with the demonstrations marching toward the Place d'Italie while carrying banners of leading French trade unions and holding posters with the slogans: "Macrons, hands off our pensions!" and "No to pension at the age of 64!"

As many as 200 demonstrations are expected to take place across France Thursday, including in major cities, such as Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Nantes.

Earlier in the week, air traffic controllers at the Paris Orly Airport announced a strike against the controversial reform plans, which prompted the airport's administration to ask air carriers to cancel 30% of Thursday's flights due to the protests.

French lawmakers began in early February debating a pension bill that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. President Macron calls the reform "vital" for the long-term viability of the pension system, noting that workers in neighboring countries retire years later.

Raising the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would result in an additional 17.7 billion Euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions, according to Labor Ministry estimates, allowing the system to break even by 2027.

French President Emmanuel Macron's plans prompted thousands of demonstrators to take to the streets numerous times to protest against the French leader, and the Police attacked them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Despite polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and Macron's own popularity dwindling, the French president insisted on keeping a key campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017 and before his reelection in April 2022.

France is already witnessing its fifth nationwide strike since the government announced its plans to raise the age of retirement to 64. 

Some 2.8 million people protested nationwide in France on January 31, during a day of rallies and strikes against pension reform backed by Macron, the leading CGT union said, while the first round of demonstrations was held on January 19.

Just one day after the one-million-person march against the government's pension reform, Macron announced a proposal to allocate a huge chunk of public expenditures to boost the military in 2024-2030.

Nearly a million protestors marched on Sunday across Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, reported the Interior Ministry in the third wave of protest. Local authorities estimate that over 2.5 million were on the street. 

Just one day after the one-million-person march against the government's pension reform, Macron announced a proposal to allocate a huge chunk of public expenditures to boost the military in 2024-2030.

Unions have warned that if the government does not meet their demands, they will "put France on hold" in the coming weeks. Strikes and protests were expected across the country, causing disruptions in public transportation, healthcare, and education, among other sectors.

Moreover, the French far-right National Rally, led by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, filed a motion of no confidence in France's government in protest against its highly controversial pension reform, the party's leader said on Wednesday.

"[A no-confidence vote] is a kind of parliamentary referendum. Those who are against the reform can support it [a vote of no confidence] to express the disagreement of tens of thousands of French people," Le Pen told French broadcaster BFMTV on Wednesday.

The no-confidence vote will take place on February 17, the last day of draft law review in the lower house of the French parliament.