Reports from BFMTV, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, indicate that on Saturday, March 11, roughly 370,000 people joined demonstrations across France to oppose the plan to raise the retirement age. In the broader nationwide actions, about 368,000 protesters were counted, with around 48,000 of them gathered in Paris.
According to updates stemming from the governor’s office as cited by BFMTV, police detained 26 individuals during the Paris protest on March 11. The grounds cited for detention included the presence of prohibited weapons and violence against law enforcement officers, underscoring the tense atmosphere surrounding the demonstrations.
Former French Minister of Labor Olivier Dussaud urged members of the Senate to vote on the full pension reform bill rather than debating its sections in isolation. His comments reflect a push for a comprehensive review of the proposed changes before any passage.
In mid January, Prime Minister Elisabeth Born unveiled a reform package that aims to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030. The plan also envisions increasing the minimum pension to 1.2 thousand euros and abolishing certain private pension regimes in various sectors. Born framed the 64-year threshold as a political compromise intended to balance fiscal priorities with social protections.
On March 7, a wave of protests against the retirement age reform swept across France, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs reporting about 1.2 million participants. The mobilization underscored broad public engagement and cross-industry participation in the pension debate.