Five days after a resurgence of mobilization, tarnished by numerous excesses, the social movement is setting off again. With its usual lot of strikes and blockages. Opponents of the pension reform will again demonstrate everywhere in France on Tuesday, for a tenth day of action. Authorities said they were expecting a high-risk day with “significantly more” young people upset against an inflexible government. The security system is “unprecedented”, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. At least 150 rallies are planned in France, in large, medium and small towns.
“Operation dead city in Rennes”, the police intervene
According to our colleagues from West France, opponents of the pension reform announced on Monday a new operation “Dead City” in Rennes, this Tuesday. And since 6 o’clock this morning, blockages have multiplied in Rennes: fires on the road, filtering dams, bus depots and blocked high schools… More than 45 kilometers of traffic jams have accumulated on the Rennes bypass and network. The police begin to intervene. A new demonstration starts at 11 a.m. from Place de Bretagne. The union demonstration from the Place de Bretagne at 11 am in Rennes.
Between 650,000 and 900,000 demonstrators expected
Authorities expect a total of 650,000 to 900,000 protesters on Tuesday, including 70,000 to 100,000 in the capital. To supervise the demonstrations, 13,000 police and gendarmes, including 5,500 in Paris, are mobilized, which constitutes an “unprecedented” system, according to the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. During the last mobilization, last Thursday, 1.9 million participants had gathered according to the Interior, more than 3 million according to the unions.
While the 53rd congress of the CGT has been held in Clermont-Ferrand since yesterday, many trade unionists will join the ranks of the Clermont procession on Tuesday. He should start at 10 a.m., in the presence of Philippe Martinez. This is probably his last event as general secretary of the CGT. “The objective is the withdrawal” of the reform and that “there is no reason not to believe in it”, he said on Monday.
Laurent Nunez invites the Defender of Rights to the command room
Invited from France Inter, the prefect of police argued that Claire Hédon would see “when (he) decides to engage the force”. “She will see that I engage the force when individuals all made up, all in black start to break up businesses”, he continued. “There is not a country in the world where we do not intervene in this kind of situation”. “We intervene with a lot of proportion,” he insisted.
Laurent Berger calls for “mediation” for a way out
“You have to take a month, a month and a half, to ask one, two, three people to mediate”, declared Laurent Berger on France Inter, calling for a “gesture of appeasement to find a way out. “. He again called for “suspending the 64-year measure” which crystallizes the opposition, believing that “entering into a mediation process” would be “a strong gesture to make” on the part of the executive. “What the inter-union is offering today is a gesture of appeasement” that “must be grasped”, said Laurent Berger.
Transport: train traffic disrupted
According to the SNCF, three out of five TGVs are planned today and one out of two TERs on average, while traffic on the rails has been disrupted for nearly three weeks. Difficulties also in Parisian transport, where the RATP has reduced traffic on most metro and RER lines.
Up to a third of flights canceled at Paris-Orly, several regional airports affected: air traffic will remain disrupted at least until Wednesday due to a strike by air traffic controllers against pension reform.
Energy: 15% of service stations lack at least one fuel
Getting around by car is not necessarily easier, with 15% of service stations running out of at least one fuel, especially in the West and South-East. This is the consequence of the shutdown of five of the country’s seven refineries. Not to mention road blockages, such as those observed around 7 a.m. this morning on the Rennes ring road and on the Nantes ring road, where traffic was very delicate, according to Bison smart.