webfact Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 French police fire tear gas at strikers challenging Macron reform By Sybille de La Hamaide and Marine Pennetier French CRS riot police face off with protesters during clashes at a demonstration against French government's pensions reform plans in Paris as part of a day of national strike and protests in France, December 5, 2019. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas at protesters in the centre of Paris on Thursday and public transport ground to a near halt in one of the biggest strikes in France for decades, aimed at forcing President Emmanuel Macron to ditch a planned reform of pensions. The strike pits Macron, a 41-year-old former investment banker who came to power in 2017 on a promise to open up France's highly regulated economy, against powerful trade unions who say he is set on dismantling worker protections. The outcome depends on who blinks first - the unions who risk losing public support if the disruption goes on for too long, or the government which fears voters could side with the unions and blame officials for the standoff. "People can work around it today and tomorrow, but next week people may get annoyed," said 56-year-old cafe owner Isabelle Guibal. Rail workers voted to extend their strike through Friday, while labour unions at the Paris bus and metro operator RATP said their walkout would continue until Monday. Trade unions achieved their initial objective on Thursday, as workers at transport enterprises, schools and hospitals across France joined the strike. In Paris, commuters had to dust off old bicycles, rely on car pooling apps, or just stay at home. The Eiffel Tower had to close to visitors. 2019-12-05T180841Z_1_LOV000LELMO0W_RTRMADV_STREAM-2000-16X9-MP4_FRANCE-PROTESTS-PENSIONS-SCUFFLES-ROUGH-CUT.MP4 French police on Thursday deployed tear gas and used pepper spray on protesters and 'black blocs' as a pensions reform protest in Paris turned rowdy. On Thursday afternoon, tens of thousands of union members marched through the centre of the capital in a show of force. Trouble erupted away from the main protest when people in masks and dressed in black ransacked a bus stop near the Place de la Republique, ripped up street furniture, smashed shop windows and threw fireworks at police. Police in riot gear responded by firing tear gas, Reuters witnesses said. Nearby, police used truncheons to defend themselves from black-clad protesters who rushed at them. Prosecutors said, in all, 57 people were detained. Macron wants to simplify France’s unwieldy pension system, which comprises more than 40 different plans, many with different retirement ages and benefits. Rail workers, mariners and Paris Opera House ballet dancers can retire up to a decade earlier than the average worker. Macron says the system is unfair and too costly. He wants a single, points-based system under which for each euro contributed, every pensioner has equal rights. PRESIDENT'S SWAGGER Macron has already survived one major challenge to his rule, from the grassroots "Yellow Vest" protesters who earlier this year clashed with police and blocked roads around France for weeks on end. Having emerged from that crisis, he carries himself with a swagger on the world stage, publicly upbraiding U.S. President Donald Trump this week over his approach to the NATO alliance and counter-terrorism. But the pension reform - on which polls show French people evenly split between supporters and opponents - is fraught with risk for him as it chips away at social protections many in France believe are at the heart of their national identity. "People are spoiling for a fight," Christian Grolier, a senior official from the hard-left Force Ouvriere union which is helping organise the strike, told Reuters. The SNCF state railway said only one in 10 high-speed TGV trains would run and police reported power cables on the line linking Paris and the Riviera had been vandalised. The civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 20% of flights because of knock-on effects from the strike. Past attempts at pension reform have ended badly for the authorities. Former president Jacques Chirac's conservative government in 1995 caved into union demands after weeks of crippling protests. (Reporting by Caroline Pailliez, Geert de Clercq, Sybille de La Hamaide, Marine Pennetier, Laurence Frost in paris and Guillaume Frouin in Nantes; Writing by Richard Lough and Christian Lowe; Editing by Gareth Jones) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-06 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howbri Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Macron isn't a "reformer", he's a socialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opl Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 2 hours ago, howbri said: Macron isn't a "reformer", he's a socialist. unfortunately all Macron's political opponents taking to the streets at any occasion don't share your opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew65 Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 2 hours ago, howbri said: Macron isn't a "reformer", he's a socialist. How can he be a 'socialist' having worked in the financial markets? Countries nowadays are a mix of socialism & capitalism. France had full-on socialism 240 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Off-topic post removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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