In Paris, the procession of demonstrators who came to challenge the pension reform in the street is very dense. The unions assure that the million people were exceeded in the demonstrations on January 19, 2023.
The essential
- More than 200 events were organized this Thursday, January 19, by the trade unions, to oppose in the street the pension reform.
- What are the numbers? The unions have already counted 140,000 people in Marseille (26,000 according to the police), 20,000 people in Nice, 30,000 in Toulouse (20,000 according to the police), 18,000 in Caen, 10,000 in Le Havre, 7,000 in Alès . “The million demonstrators will be exceeded”, declared Philippe Martinez in front of the media, in Paris, on the sidelines of the procession place de la République. “The mobilization is beyond what we thought,” added Laurent Berger, the leader of the CFDT.
- In Paris, the procession left the Place de la République towards Nation between 2:00 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. There could be nearly 100,000 people according to intelligence estimates.
- According to the Ministry of National Education, the strikers were 42% in primary education and 34.6% in secondary education. The Snes-FSU gave another figure this morning: 65% of strikers in secondary school. The SNCF unions indicated that 46.3% of the group’s employees were on strike on Thursday.
- Follow the demonstrations of January 19 against the pension reform live, the information on the strike and find the map of the mobilizations further down in this article.
Live
4:31 p.m. – Paris: 20 arrests at 4 p.m., violent outbursts
The police are currently intervening “to prevent the degradation of the Matmut” at 36 boulevard Beaumarchais, the police headquarters told AFP. Parisian. There would have been 20 arrests at 4 p.m. The independent journalist, nickname Adrien AdcaZz on Twitter posted videos of the outbursts.
16:10 – First tensions in Paris
As reported by Pierre Bouvier, journalist at Le Monde in the Parisian procession, the first charges and tear gas canisters were used by the police against certain demonstrators.
4:05 p.m. – The President also calls for rallies “without excesses or violence”
The Head of State recalled that it was “good and legitimate for all opinions to be able to be expressed”, but urged the organizers and demonstrators that “this legitimate expression of disagreement” must be done “without too much inconvenience for our compatriots and without excesses or violence” he continued.
4:01 p.m. – Emmanuel Macron defends a “just” and “responsible” reform
Live from Barcelona, the President defended his pension reform. During the press conference he expressed himself and considered that “during the elections, things were said clearly! The reform was democratically presented and validated”. Emmanuel Macron also said that “if we want to be fair between the generations and save our pay-as-you-go system, we must make this reform”.
3:46 p.m. – Lots of people in the procession in Paris this Thursday, January 19
People, lots of people in the Parisian demonstration organized by the eight French unions. The unions should announce a figure larger than 100 to 150,000 people, a figure that has been backstage since this morning. The Place de la République is crowded with people, the demonstrators are advancing only with great difficulty. An alternative route has been created to make the movement of demonstrators more fluid. It should also be noted that the demonstration took place calmly, without skidding, even if the police forces identified a small group of obviously malicious people on the Place de la Bastille.
3:24 p.m. – A wide range for the mobilization of Bordeaux
In Gironde, in Bordeaux, they were 16,000 people to demonstrate according to the prefecture and more than 50,000 demonstrators for the CGT.
15:04 – Sandrine Rousseau in the procession
Sandrine Rousseau is also in the Parisian procession, the proof in image. The sign refers to the words of Michel Sardou, who on the set of BFM TVcomplained the husband of the EELV deputy for the 9th district of Paris, “the poor, frankly, shouldn’t you take a walk to help this poor guy? My poor boy, what did you come across! It’s the hell” estimated the singer.
14:46 – Rennes: overflows noted
The mobilization was very well attended in Rennes, because it would have brought together between 17,000 demonstrators according to the police, 25,000 demonstrators according to the unions. The streets are still busy despite the end of the convoy in the city center. Several overflows were noted on the sidelines of this event, several windows were ransacked, as indicated The Telegram, whose Zara Place de la République window was ransacked, clothes were thrown into the crowd. Cars were also burned. The police therefore used water cannons and tear gas canisters to disperse the thugs.
14:24 – First arrests in Paris
According to Parisiana few minutes before the rally in Place de la République, the police had already carried out 2,300 checks and 15 arrests, in particular for carrying a prohibited weapon, said the police headquarters.
2:12 p.m. – The left present in the Parisian procession
A few minutes before the departure of the Parisian procession, the left met to jointly denounce this reform. Marine Tondelier, national secretary of EELV, denounced a government which “takes the French for morons” because “they offer us understandings and compensations which do not exist or which are not possible” she castigated . Fabien Roussel of the PCF also called for a referendum to see if the French really want this project. For Olivier Faure, first secretary of the PS, “there is no project more unfair than raising the retirement age”.
14:04 – Paris: departure of the procession in a few moments
Place de la République in Paris is gradually filling up, the procession will set off in a few minutes to reach Place de la Nation around 7 p.m. The authorities expect between 50,000 and 80,000 people.
13:59 – In Caen nearly 20,000 according to the CGT
In Caen nearly 20,000 demonstrators marched according to figures put forward by the CGT reported France Blue Normandy. Figures from local authorities have not yet been released.
13:51 – Number difference in Nice: between 7,500 and 20,000 demonstrators
The prefecture announced 7,500 people who beat the pavement in the streets of Nice this Thursday, January 19 against 20,000 demonstrators for the CGT.
13:47 – Big difference in numbers in Marseille
As with every demonstration, it is the battle of figures between the police and the unions. In Marseille, the police gave the figure of 26,000 demonstrators against 140,000 for the inter-union.
13:41 – Between 30,000 and 50,000 demonstrators in Toulouse
The police counted 30,000 demonstrators in Toulouse this Thursday, January 19, where the procession was organized this morning. The CGT, for its part, gave the figure of 50,000 demonstrators. The mobilization is therefore similar to that of 2019, when 33,000 people were counted by the police in Toulouse.
Learn more
The map of the demonstrations of January 19
Here is a map of the demonstrations of January 19, elaborated and updated by the union Unsa Territorials, the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions, which shared its information with us. Click on a point on the map to have practical information on the organized event; you can also search for a municipality by clicking on the “magnifying glass” icon:
- Paris : Gathering at 12:15 p.m. for the press conference at the corner of Boulevard du Temple and Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud / Departure of the event at 2 p.m. from Place de la République for Place de la Nation
- Toulouse: Gathering at 10 a.m. at the War Memorial
- Marseille: Gathering at 10.30 a.m. at the Reformed
- Nice: Gathering at 10 a.m. Place Masséna
- Lyon: Gathering at 11 a.m. Manufacture des Tabacs
- Lille: Gathering at 2:30 p.m. Porte de Paris
- Rennes: Gathering at 11 a.m. at the Charles-de-Gaulle esplanade
- Bordeaux: Gathering at 12 p.m. Place de la République in Bordeaux
- Strasbourg: Gathering at 2 p.m. Place de la Bourse
- Nantes: Gathering at 10:30 a.m. at the Water Mirror
- Brest: Gathering at 10:30 a.m. Place de la Liberté
- Caen: Gathering at 10:30 a.m. Place Saint Pierre
- Avignon: Gathering at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Cité administrative
- Metz: Gathering at 2 p.m. Place de la gare
- La Rochelle: Gathering at 2:30 p.m. on the forecourt of the station
One Elabe survey for BFM TV, indicated on January 11 that 60% of French people say they support the mobilization against the pension reform and 46% add that they are ready to mobilize themselves. But despite these encouraging figures, Laurent Berger is not certain of collecting as much as necessary, taking into account the inflationary context during which a “Half day strike without being paid, when the end of the month comes earlier and earlier, it’s not easy…”. Des proposes that the trade unionist would have held on to an employee according to The world.
Other demonstrations to come against the pension reform?
The unions are calling for them to stay the course and take to the streets until the government backs down on pension reform or lends itself to real negotiations. Other mobilizations at the initiative of the unions could therefore follow in the coming weeks, particularly in February and March when the reform will be debated in Parliament. The unions could organize a new big day of strike at the end of January 2022.
When the intersyndicale will not call for mobilization, other organizations by branch will be able to do so. Several appointments are made for strikes and mobilizations in January and February. Youth organizations and elected officials from La France insoumise have already planned a march on January 21, two days after the mobilization day. All the left should follow the movement but on the right and on the far right there is no question of joining the demonstrations
Encouraged by these calls for mobilization, citizens could also organize demonstrations. Police intelligence also fears “a new large-scale citizen mobilization” with the accumulation of hot spots in recent months: inflation, the energy crisis and now the unwelcome pension reform. In a note consulted by our colleagues from BFM TV and of France Interthe police say they fear “long strikes in several key sectors of the economy” and demonstrations “outside any union framework” as well as “necessarily disruptive and unpredictable modes of action”.