daily devotionals online logo Friday, March 29, 2024 11:56 AM GMT+1
       Reset Password        Click here to sign up.
 
daily devotionals online
Home
       our daily bread
Our Daily Bread
       the good seed
The Good Seed
       the LORD is near
The LORD is near
       andrew wommack
Andrew Wommack
       billy graham
Billy Graham
 
christian topics
Christian
       general topics
General
       interesting topics
Interesting
 

Clashes erupt in France on May Day as hundreds of thousands protest Macron's pension reforms
Posted by Temmy
Wed, May 03, 2023 2:50pm


Clashes erupt in France on May Day as hundreds of thousands protest Macron's pension reforms
General views of protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France. ONUR COBAN/DIA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Protesters clashed with security forces across France on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for Labour Day to vent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform.

Unions had been hoping for a vast turnout across France for the May 1 protests to further rattle Macron, who has been greeted by pot-bashing and jeers as he toured the country seeking to defend the reforms and relaunch his second mandate.

Macron last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne slammed as "unacceptable" violence that erupted in several cities.

"In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilisation and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable," she wrote on Twitter.

Paris's city hall told Le Parisien that the protests in the capital since January have caused $1.75 million worth of damage to public property.

In Paris, radical protesters threw projectiles at police and broke windows of businesses such as banks and estate agents, with security forces responding with tear gas and water cannon, AFP correspondents said.

One policeman, hit by a Molotov cocktail, has suffered severe burns to the hand and face, Paris police told AFP. The police said 46 people have been arrested in the capital alone so far.

Police had been given a last-minute go-ahead to use drones as a security measure after a Paris court rejected a petition from rights groups for them not to be used.

Police deployed tear gas in Toulouse in southern France as tensions erupted during demonstrations, while four cars were set on fire in the southeastern city of Lyon.

In the western city of Nantes, police also fired tear gas after protesters hurled projectiles, AFP correspondents said. The windows of Uniqlo clothing store were smashed.

"Even if the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, in Paris, Lyon and Nantes in particular the police face extremely violent thugs who came with one objective: to kill cops and attack the property of others," said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter.

Protesters briefly occupied the luxury Intercontinental hotel in the southern city of Marseille, breaking flower pots and damaging furniture.

Some 782,000 people protested across France, including 112,000 in Paris alone, the interior ministry said. The CGT union said it counted 2.3 million protesters across France, including 550,000 in the capital.

The turnout was massively higher than May Day last year but smaller than the biggest protests seen against the pension reform this year.

Macron and his government have tried to turn the page on the months of popular discontent, hoping to relaunch his second term after the reform was signed into law.

"The page is not going to be turned as long as there is no withdrawal of this pension reform. The determination to win is intact," said CGT chief Sophie Binet at the Paris protest.

"The mobilisation is still very, very strong," added Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union.

"It is a sign that resentment and anger are not diminishing."

Monday marked the first time since 2009 that all eight of France's main unions joined in calling for protests.

Radical ecological activists from Extinction Rebellion earlier sprayed orange paint on the facade of the glitzy Fondation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, which is backed by the LVMH luxury goods giant.

In a separate action by a different environmental protest group, activists sprayed orange paint around the Place Vendome in central Paris, known for its jewelry shops, targeting the facade of the ministry of justice.

France has been rocked by a dozen days of nationwide strikes and protests against Macron and his pension changes since mid-January, some of which have turned violent.

When Macron attended the final of the French football cup on Saturday, he was met with activists waving red cards.

Almost three in four French people were unhappy with Macron, a survey by the IFOP polling group found last month.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, with Macron's support, invoked in March the controversial article 49.3 of the constitution to ram the pension reform through parliament without a vote in the hung lower house.

In the Place de la Republique where the march started in the French capital, a huge vest with the slogan "Macron resign" was fixed to the giant statue symbolising the French republic at its centre.

"The law has been passed but has not been accepted, there is a desire to show discontent peacefully to have a reaction in response that shows a certain level of decency," said Celine Bertoni, 37, an academic in the central city of Clermont-Ferrand.

"I still hope that we are going to be told it will be withdrawn," she added.

"Macron has the impression that as he was elected he has all the power! But I want him to cede his place to the people," added Karine Catteau, 45, in the western city of Rennes.

May Day demonstrations on a smaller and less fractious scale took place across Europe, including Spain where flag-waving demonstrators joined more than 70 rallies under the slogan: "Raise wages, lower prices and share profits".

Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France
Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France. ONUR COBAN/DIA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France
Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France. ONUR COBAN/DIA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES





 

More From General Chat Room Archives


Judge blocks Pro-Life Activist from releasing undercover videos of abortion conference
Judge blocks Pro-Life Activist from releasing undercover videos of abortion conference
Posted on Tue, April 13, 2021 10:37am


A federal judge issued a summary judgment barring pro-life activist David Daleiden's organization from releasing hundreds of hours of undercover videos filmed during an abortion conference.

U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick for the Northern District of California issued a ruling last...More
Disney Plus to Feature Gay Couple in The Proud Family Reboot
Disney Plus to Feature Gay Couple in The Proud Family Reboot
Posted on Fri, May 14, 2021 12:55pm


Disney has announced it will be bringing back its animated sitcom The Proud Family, with the inclusion of some new characters, including two interracial gay dads who are adoptive parents of a teenage racial activist.

The upcoming series, titled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, follows up...More
Anonymous Customer Leaves $16,000 Tip at Restaurant, Commends Staff for Hard Work
Anonymous Customer Leaves $16,000 Tip at Restaurant, Commends Staff for Hard Work
Posted on Thu, June 24, 2021 8:16am


The waitstaff at a New Hampshire restaurant wasn't surprised when a customer ordered lunch on June 12, but the $16,000 tip he left gave them was quite a shock.

WMUR-TV reported that a customer came into the Stumble Inn Bar and Grill in Londonderry and racked up a $37 tab after ordering a...More



 



For enquiries, notifications and ad placement send mail to [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy || Terms & Conditions