As French unions continue to push against pension reform this Tuesday, the strongholds against the government of Emmanuel Macron have begun to crack. Unitary union coalition tenth day of mobilization — the eighth in the framework of the general strike — since 19 January against the unpopular increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 (with 43 years of full pension). Despite the apparent difficulty of supporting such calls every week, even more so in these times of rising inflation, workers’ organizations are relying on the letter from the young people – who are increasingly mobilized – to keep the protests going.
Moreover 500 institutes -100 more than last Thursday’s general strike – blocked this Tuesday morning. Faculty of Sciences Po Paris, Sorbonne, University of Nanterre, Dauphine and also Lille 1, Lyon 2, Toulouse 2… The list of university centers that do not open their doors is long. Since the reform was imposed in a controversial decree and without a parliamentary vote on March 16, public backlash against the measure has sparked more general outrage at President Macron.
this feeling lack of democracy forced the participation of young people and breathed new life into the protests. The rail sector—about 50% of trains cancelled—has no waste collection or fuel refineries —30% of gas stations in the Paris area are short of gas—continuing mobilization. More than 200 protests were held across the country. Intelligence services estimate there will be between 650,000 and 900,000 demonstrators. In other words, lower turnout than last week’s general strike, one of the most massive and tense of the current protest wave, and the most massive in the 21st century in the vibrant neighboring country.
Tense atmosphere due to protesters and police brutality
After numerous riots and strong police response last Thursday, the Ministry of the Interior announced the deployment of 13,000 agents (5,500 of them in Paris). This is the highest number of police officers deployed in the current wave of protests, despite the absence of nearly 90,000 police officers on the streets during one of the most tense protests in the country. yellow vests.
After the text was approved by the Statutory Decree, the pulse of pensions hardened. HE the social climate has become combustibleEven though it doesn’t reach what happened with the rebellion at the end of 2018, almost with the implications of the rebellion. Authorities reported that around 900 riot police have been injured since March 16, most of them lightly.
cases wrong use of the police force. For example, a unionist from the SNCF rail company lost an eye, a protester lost a finger due to a police grenade, teens reported agents touching their genitals, or a protester was run over by agents on a motorcycle.
Added to this Violent clashes on Saturday between environmental activists and police During a demonstration against large dams in Saint-Solines in mid-west France. Protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails, riot police used rubber bullets and more than 4,000 police used bombs. Currently, two injured protesters are in a coma and their lives are in danger.
“Not Macron de Gaulle”
“It is not Macron De Gaulle, and I am not at all sure that this corrosive strategy of social mobilization will work for him this time,” the Prensa Ibérica group told ‘EL PERIÓDICO’. sociologist Karel Yon, trade union movement expert and researcher at the CNRS and the University of Nanterre. The centrist leader was able to reverse the yellow vest rebellion in 2019 by chronologicalizing the violence and presenting himself as the “party of order”. However, it is not clear that the same thing will happen this time. Nearly 70 percent of French support the protests, according to recent surveys. They are giving the highest support to the protests since the social pulse took off.
After acting quite cocky in his interview on March 22, macron He softened his speech a little and said on Friday he was willing to meet with the unions, but on the condition that he would not talk about the unions. pension reform.
This Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne promised not to use it. controversial article 49.3, “with the exception of budget laws”. Some expressions that astonish even in the Élysée.
Union leaders are not naive, and they see Macron’s stance in these statements because of his rigidity. popularity for lower levels from rebel between yellow vests. “We proposed to the government (…) to postpone its project and appoint a mediator, as in any social conflict,” he said on Tuesday. CGT Secretary General Philippe Martinez. The Executive’s response was swift: “We don’t need a mediator,” said government spokesman Olivier Véran.
but this stronghold of macronism The first cracks in pensions began to appear. HE Modemone of the parties that make up the presidential majority, yes supporter of this mediation. In addition, both the unions and the Government have their eyes on the Supreme Election Board’s decision. Constitutional Council, The equivalent of the Constitutional Court.
According to several experts, this organism partially censoring the law due to the multiple mechanisms used to speed up parliamentary debates. But for a few weeks it will not be pronounced. HE pulse between macron, unions and the street is far from finished.