Residents of Paris again protested against the pension reform proposed by the government after the authorities decided to abandon the most critical provision of the bill.
It is reported that another procession of opponents of the reform started in the French capital on Tuesday afternoon. This time the route of the demonstration runs along the left bank of the Seine: from the subway station Ecole Militaire (VII district) to Rue du Bac (VII district). The length of the route will be approximately 3.5 kilometres.
More than a thousand people, from students to older people, take part in the procession. Among the protesters are doctors, teachers, hotel staff, postmen and other professions.
The atmosphere at the rallies is calm, there are no disturbed people in the crowd, who are representatives of radical movements at many rallies. However, in some parts of the road on foot procession there are strong police and special forces on duty.
On 5 December, France went on a nationwide indefinite strike against the Government’s pension reform, which could result in the loss of a number of privileges and special retirement regimes for certain categories of French workers, including transport workers. The strike has significantly disrupted public transport throughout the country – metro, rail and train. During this period, there were several large-scale protests in Paris and other French cities.
Last Saturday, January 11, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in a letter to the trade unions that the authorities were temporarily waiving the provision that a full pension could be obtained only when the age of 64 instead of 62.