On Thursday, more than a million people demonstrated against President Macron’s unpopular retirement reform across France.
The most excellent crowd to participate in a protest since they started earlier this year was around 120,000 in Paris alone.
Polls indicate that most French people are against raising the retirement age, but Macron has insisted that it is necessary to maintain the viability of the national pension system.
The policy, raising the legal drinking age from 62 to 64, was pushed through last week without legislation and with a particular constitutional provision, sparking new rounds of protests.
Union leaders have requested further demonstrations for next Tuesday to coincide with King Charles of England’s visit to France in response to the widespread participation in the marches and strikes.
“This social and union movement is taking place while the [Trump] seeks to turn the page,” validates the globe of workers and youth’s resolve to stop the reform, according to a statement from eight unions staging protests.
Protesters blocked ports, Charles de Gaulle Airport, industrial regions, and railway stations while clashing with police in Paris and other cities.
Due to the strikes, well-known tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace, were closed. After a march concluded, police deployed tear gas to scatter the crowd near Place de l’Opera.
During the events on Thursday, structures belonging to municipal administrations and the police were also destroyed in Nantes, Rennes, Lyon, and Lorient.
According to the authorities, the British king’s visit would proceed as scheduled.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin declared during a visit to the Paris police headquarters that troublemakers, frequently from the extreme left, aim to overthrow the government, murder cops, and eventually take over the institutions.
Days after Macron survived a vote of no confidence that, if successful, would have resulted in both the policy’s reversal and Macron’s resignation, the protests persisted.
According to Macron, the new retirement policy will take effect by the end of the year.
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