FRANCE is facing widespread civil unrest after President Emmanuel Macron pushed through controversial pension reforms, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Despite months of strikes and riots, the pension plans passed into law without a parliamentary vote. In a pre-recorded nationwide TV broadcast on Monday evening, Macron admitted that the reform had not been accepted by the French people but insisted there would be no U-turns.
Macron argued that the reform was necessary to guarantee pensions and produce more wealth for the country, and to keep France in line with its European neighbors. However, within minutes of his speech, illegal protests broke out, with riot police struggling to restore order as crowds marched through Paris chanting “Macron resign!” and setting fires and smashing windows.
Similar scenes were reported in other cities and towns, including Marseille, Toulouse, and Nantes, with opposition politicians and unions attacking what they see as the arrogant imposition of the two-year rise in the retirement age. Opinion polls suggest that around 70% of the population is against the reform.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen called for a referendum on the reform, the dissolution of parliament, or Macron’s resignation. Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist party, said the opposition was “not ready to move on to other things.”
As sporadic protests continued around the country, trade unions urged the public to turn May Day workers’ parades into giant protests against the pension reform.
France’s retirement age now falls behind that of several other European countries, including Germany and Italy, where it is 67, and Spain, where it is 65. The UK’s retirement age is 66.
