Seventy people detained in Paris during pension reform protests
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More protesters are detained for standing against Macron's pension reforms.
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A police officer throws a grenade during a demonstration in Nantes, western France, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP)
Seventy people were reportedly detained in Paris on Monday evening during protests against the adoption of pension reform by France's National Assembly, local TV reported, citing a police source.
Police and protesters clashed in Paris after two votes of no confidence in the government over pension reform.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on March 16th that the government had adopted the legislation raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years by invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, which enabled the bill to be passed without the approval of parliament.
The move sparked strong backlash, prompting people across the nation to take to the streets. Over 300 individuals were arrested during protests against the pension reform on Thursday alone.
A few days earlier, about 26 arrests were made and over 4,000 others were stopped and searched in protests that engulfed France.
France's Ministry of the Interior reported that over 368,000 protesters rallied across France on March 11 to demonstrate against a reform intended to raise the retirement age to 64.
Demonstrations began at 10 am (0900 GMT) in major cities such as Toulouse and Nice. The march in Paris kicked off at 2 pm. Videos circulated all over the internet showing the brutality with which French police were treating the protesters.
On March 17, Macron faced intensified protests and accusations of anti-democratic behavior after pushing through the 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.
"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.
