Thousands of people pounded the pavement on Friday in several French cities after the announcement of the validation by the Constitutional Council of the essentials of the unpopular pension reform.
In Paris, hundreds of people had already gathered before the Council’s decision. Once announced around 6:00 p.m. (UTC+2), the gathering has grown even more massive and they are now several thousand leaving for the streets of the capital in spontaneous processions interspersed with incidents.
On the side of Lyon, the rally convened by the local inter-union turned, just after the decision of the “Wise Men”, into a wild demonstration. The security forces suppressed the mobilization with tear gas.
In Marseille, where traffic blockages have already been launched in the afternoon, several hundred people also pounded the pavement to express their opposition to the pension reform, which notably provides for the 2-year decline in the age of retirement.
Other unexpected demonstrations took place in several other cities in France, notably in Rennes, Nantes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, or even in Lille, while the inter-union had not called for mobilization on a national scale this Friday and does not foresee a next mobilization until May 1.
The Constitutional Council validated, on Friday, most of the very controversial pension reform and censured six provisions of this reform. Among them, the senior index aimed at promoting the employment of older workers and the senior employment contract.
In another decision, the “Sages” blocked the draft Shared Initiative Referendum (RIP) requested by the left-wing opposition, which was hoping for a green light to start collecting 4.8 million signatures with a view to a consultation of the French intended to thwart the project of the Executive.
Following the decision of the Council, the reform will be promulgated by the President of the Republic by the end of the weekend, according to the local press.
Before the verdict of the constitutionalists, the president of the republic had invited the unions to meet him on Tuesday, with a view to restoring dialogue.
The unions, strongly opposed to this project, the flagship measure of Emmanuel Macron’s electoral program, have organized 12 national days of strikes and mobilizations since January 19, with the aim of putting pressure on the government and forcing it to withdraw its reform. .