New pension protests hit France ahead of key court ruling

PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of France on Thursday (April 6) for another day of demonstrations and strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, as unions seek to stay afloat pressure before important court decisions.

Clashes broke out in the afternoon in several cities, including in Paris, where some radical protesters briefly burned the porch of a restaurant highly appreciated by the president. .

Macron, currently on a visit to China, is facing the biggest challenge of his second term of his flagship pension overhaul, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 and asking Ask people to work longer to get paid in full.

All sides to the standoff are awaiting a verdict on April 14 on the validity of the reforms by the French Constitutional Council, which has the power to repeal some or even all of the laws.

While council members, known as “the wise”, will make decisions in line with the strict interpretation of the law, unions want to show the protest movement is born in January. still motivated.

Laurent Berger, head of the centrist CFDT coalition, told RTL radio: “We are in the midst of a social crisis, a democratic crisis.

“It’s a problem… that needs to be resolved by the president.”

Protests were held across the country, with people brandishing banners or waving union flags from Paris to the southern cities of Montpellier and Marseille.

“We have not given up and we have no intention of doing so,” civil servant Davy Chretien, 50, said while marching in Marseille.

The CGT union claimed 400,000 people took part in the protest in Paris.