Spontaneous demonstrations took place in France, 24 hours after Emmanuel Macron’s decision to resort to 49.3 on this highly contested pension reform. In Paris and in several French cities, the demonstrators intend to respond to what they consider to be contempt on the part of the government.
Punchy actions took place in France, this Friday, March 17, 24 hours after the government passed by force to adopt the pension reform. This morning, the Paris ring road was blocked for more than 30 minutes. In the 13th arrondissement, a rally of young people in support of the garbage collectors on strike took place. Students and high school students joined the mobilization. The security forces intervened and used tear gas and tossed the demonstrators.
A few high schools were also blocked, such as the Turgot and Henri-IV high schools in Paris. ” The principle of 49.3 is really undemocratic “Explained to AFP, Raphaëlle, 16, in first class at Lycée Henri-IV, adding that” it’s quite symbolic to make this blockade here today, because it was Macron’s high school “.
Young people also mobilized in Rennes, where a demonstration took place bringing together several thousand people. This afternoon of March 17, a general meeting concerning the continuation of the movement must take place at the University of Rennes 2.
In Bordeaux, about 200 people, including students, joined the railway workers’ picket on the forecourt of the St-Jean station, and Montaigne University is occupied.
In Toulon, train traffic was interrupted at the end of the morning by a group of demonstrators on the tracks. Finally, in Marseille, a rally in support of strikers in the energy sector is taking place right now.
A call to gather at 6 p.m. this Friday, March 17, Place de la Concorde, in Paris, and in other cities, is also beginning to circulate on social networks. For Gaylor, an angry citizen in Compiègne, there is no longer any point in demonstrating in the provinces.
We realize that the days go by and the contempt is still just as great. Me, now, it’s the places of power, we have to go there to show them that we are really unhappy. Because we realize that we can do what we want at the provincial level, it never makes people react…
Gaylor, angry citizen of Compiègne (town located 71 km northeast of Paris)
For this weekend, the unions are counting on local mobilizations, before the call for a massive demonstration on Thursday March 23. In the meantime, the strikers at the Total refinery have already planned to shut down the facilities this weekend.
► Read also : Pension reform: two motions of censure filed against the government