The French are mobilizing against the pension reform

People took to the streets en masse in several French cities today to demonstrate against President Macron’s pension reform. The French government wants to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, much to the chagrin of the unions.

Actions took place in approximately 200 locations. According to the French Interior Ministry, more than 1.1 million protesters took to the streets across the country, including 80,000 in Paris. The Ministry of Education says 30-40% of teachers went on strike today.

Earlier in the evening, unions cited a much higher number of protesters across France, saying they numbered more than two million.

The newspaper The world reports that around 40 people were arrested during riots in the capital. Tear gas was used around the protest there as masked protesters bombarded police. There were also reportedly a few clashes with law enforcement in Lyon and Rennes.

Public transport has been seriously disrupted by the strikes. Local rail traffic was almost impossible and the TGV, the high-speed line, only operated to a limited extent. Several Paris metro stations have been closed.

The protests revolve around major reforms to the pension system. Macron, for example, wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. In addition, he also wants to increase the number of years that the French must work to qualify for a full pension: from 42 to 43 years. It is possible to retire earlier, but not against a full pension.

The government puts forward the aging of the population as an argument for the reform: active people pay longer and longer pensions at the full rate of more and more retirees. According to the president, the pension system threatens to become unaffordable if no action is taken.

The unions, in turn, are insisting that the government rescind their previously won labor rights and are demanding that Macron consider other financial solutions first.

Protesters took to the streets of several French cities en masse:

The eight main unions in France have already announced this evening a date for new demonstrations against the pension reform. The action will resume on January 31.