After a restless night, the French will take to the streets again on Tuesday to protest against government pension schemes. For example, France wants to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Rennes students blocked the roads last night by erecting barricades and setting fires. In Paris, police used tear gas to disperse groups of protesters.
Tuesday is another day of protest against the pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Unions have organized strikes in rail transport and air traffic, among others. They also called on the population to take to the streets massively to protest against the proposed reforms.
This is not the first time protests have been made against the plans. At the end of January, nearly 1.3 million French people demonstrated against the pension reform. Police expect between 1.1 and 1.4 million people to take to the streets on Tuesday.
France has been grappling with pension reform for some time
President Macron considers the reforms necessary because of the growing number of pensioners, who are also living longer on average than before.
French governments have struggled for decades with pension reform and mass protests against their plans. It is not possible to change the expensive and complicated system, which is built by professional group. Macron let an earlier reform plan disappear in a drawer, mainly because of violent protests in 2020. An additional problem is that his government no longer has a majority in parliament.
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