Mass protests, Macron under fire after pushing through pension law

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Mar 2023 08:39

Thousands of French protesters take to the streets against the government's decision to hike the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Stocked-up garbage bins set on fire during protests against the French government's pension reform plan, Paris, March 16, 2023 (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday faced intensified protests and accusations of anti-democratic behavior after pushing through a contentious pension reform without a parliamentary vote.

Using a special constitutional power to pass legislation without a vote amounted to an admission that the government lacked a majority to hike the retirement age from 62 to 64, a change that has met strong resistance across the country.

"We can't take the risk of seeing 175 hours of parliamentary debate come to nothing," French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told MPs as she announced the move amid boos from opposition MPs, who also sang the national anthem.

Aurelien Pradie, an MP with the right-wing opposition party the Republicans, said the government's move ran "the risk of a democratic rupture in this country."

"We have a problem of democracy. This law -- which will change the lives of the French -- has been adopted without the slightest vote at the National Assembly," Pradie told BFM TV.

Trains, schools, public services, and ports have since January been affected by strikes against the proposed reform, amid some of the biggest protests in decades.

A rolling strike by municipal garbage collectors in Paris has caused about 7,000 tonnes of trash to pile up in the streets, attracting rats and dismaying tourists.

On Thursday, thousands gathered outside the French parliament to protest the government's move.

French media broadcast pictures of crowds of demonstrators, including politicians, waving flags and banners.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the founder and leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, said the pension reform is null and void as it lacks support from both lawmakers and citizens.

At around 8:00 pm (1900 GMT), police used tear gas and water cannon to clear protesters after a fire was lit in the center of the historic Place de la Concorde.

Paris erupts in street battles after Macron forced through pension reform without parliamentary vote.👇🔥 pic.twitter.com/M4EAqExllV
— VeBee🇺🇸✝️ (@VeBo1991) March 16, 2023

Even after the rally was dispersed, some protesters started fires and caused damage to shop fronts on side streets, according to AFP reporters.

By 11:30 pm, Paris police said 310 people had been arrested on suspicion of seeking to cause damage.

Similar scenes unfolded across France. Several stores were looted during protests in Marseille while clashes between protesters and security forces also erupted in the western cities of Nantes and Rennes as well as Lyon in the southeast, according to AFP correspondents.

'Total failure': Le Pen

Trade unions and political analysts had warned that adopting the legislation without a vote -- by invoking article 49.3 of the constitution -- would undercut the law's democratic legitimacy.

"It's a total failure for the government," far-right leader Marine Le Pen told reporters. "From the beginning, the government fooled itself into thinking it had a majority."

According to polls, two-thirds of French people oppose the pension overhaul.

In Paris, riots erupted at the Place de la #Concorde on the evening of the protest against the French #government's proposal to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, as tens of thousands of people gathered to oppose the move. pic.twitter.com/jkR223VrMI
— Whatfinger News (@Whatfinger1) March 17, 2023

Some opposition parties including Le Pen's are set to call a vote of no confidence in the centrist government on Friday, but Borne's cabinet is expected to survive, thanks to backing from the Republicans.

Unions immediately called for another day of mass strikes and protests for next Thursday, calling the government's move "a complete denial of democracy."

With tensions rising, the head of the ruling faction in parliament Aurore Berge wrote to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to ask him to ensure the protection of MPs, according to a letter seen by AFP.

Macron makes no public comment

After trying and failing to push through a pension reform during his first term, Macron returned to the issue while campaigning for re-election last April.

But he lost his parliamentary majority in June after elections for the National Assembly.

Despite the rising protests, Macron made no public comment on the matter Thursday.

"You cannot play with the future of the country," he told a closed-door cabinet meeting Thursday morning as he justified the move, according to a participant.

On his part, the head of the CGT union, Philippe Martinez, warned this week that Macron risked "giving the keys" of the presidency to Le Pen at the next election in 2027 when Macron will be constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.