Pension reforms: Police, protesters clash in France

French police have clashed with protesters in Paris after the government forced through pension reforms without a vote in parliament.

Crowds converged on Place de la Concorde in response to raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

A fire was lit in the middle of the Place de la Concorde and police with shields and batons fired tear gas and moved to clear the square.

By nightfall, 120 people had been arrested, Paris police told AFP news agency.

The plans had sparked two months of heated political debate and strikes.

Finally, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne invoked article 49:3 of the constitution – allowing the government to avoid a vote in the Assembly.

The decision was taken minutes before MPs were scheduled to vote on the controversial bill, because there was no guarantee of winning a majority.

The move caused fury among opposition politicians. Many jeered the prime minister, sang La Marseillaise and held up signs of protest in parliament.

No-confidence motion

Far-right opposition leader, Marine Le Pen has suggested that a no-confidence motion will be filed against President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

Also Read: A Day of Mass Strikes in France

Leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), Mathilde Panot, tweeted that Mr Macron had plunged the country into a government crisis, without parliamentary or popular legitimacy.

Thousands of people came out on the streets of Paris and other French cities to reject the move, singing the national anthem and waving trade union flags.

Unions have vowed to maintain their opposition to the pension changes, with the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) saying another day of strikes and demonstrations was being planned for Thursday 23 March.

Morale in France is low and getting lower, and people see retirement as a bright spot in the future. But many feel this is a rich man’s government taking even that away.

Zainab Sa’id