Prostest in Paris calls to stop sending arms to Ukraine, leave NATO
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This marks the third protest of its kind led by The Patriots, whose leader Florian Philippot, disclosed to RIA Novosti that the French public is leaning more towards ending weapon shipments to Ukraine.
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Supporters of the French Les Patriotes party are marching today in Paris against the pension reform, calling Macron to step down, and for leaving the EU and NATO, March 18, 2023 (Social media)
The streets of Paris witnessed thousands on Saturday demonstrate against supplying arms to Ukraine and calling for France to withdraw from NATO.
According to RIA Novosti, the protests, named "March for Peace", watched citizens near the Luxembourg Palace hold up signs that say: "Stop War Provoked by US and NATO," "Freedom, Truth, Resistance" and "No-Confidence Vote is Peace in France."
Why is Western media ignoring the anti-NATO protests happening today in Paris, France?
— sarah (@sahouraxo) March 18, 2023
« Sortons vite de l'OTAN! »
Thousands of people chanting "Let's get out of NATO quickly!" pic.twitter.com/j2WleN6O3w
Read more: Melenchon to pass vote of no confidence over pension reform
This marks the third protest of its kind led by The Patriots, whose leader Florian Philippot, disclosed to RIA Novosti that the French public is leaning more towards ending weapon shipments to Ukraine.
From the city of love to the city of trash
Yesterday, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the law extending the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 years old was adopted by the government using Article 49.3 of the constitution - an article that allows the government to pass a law without a vote in parliament.
At the time when the law was adopted, the eighth nationwide demonstration against the reform was already on.
"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."
🔴 Face à face entre police et manifestants à #Paris : canon à eau et barricades pour le 2eme soir d’affilé sur #Concorde contre la #ReformedesRetraite pic.twitter.com/KL43s0h2jV
— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) March 17, 2023
In light of the protests, city cleaners have been on strike for 10 days, causing the streets of Paris to accumulate over 7,600 tonnes of rubbish.
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.
On Twitter, the Mayor wrote an open letter to the Paris prefect that read: "The paradox is that the government requires local authorities to solve a problem that they themselves have created. I want to inform you that I will not fulfill your requirement."
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.
