French unions and the opposition have vowed to continue their campaign against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms following yesterday’s May Day demonstrations across France.
The government said 800,000 people took to the streets and one of the largest unions put the number at 2.3 million, reports RTE.
At least 108 police officers were injured – including one seriously – and 291 people were arrested across the country.
Such a high number of wounded police officers is “extremely rare” for a May Day protest, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters.
He also said that a police officer who was hit by a Molotov cocktail suffered burns to his face and hands, but his life was not in danger.
In the French capital, bullets were thrown at police, ride-alongs were set on fire and bus shelters were destroyed as the union-led march began on the central Place de la Republique.
There were also riots in Lyon, where several vehicles were set on fire and several business premises were devastated, as television images showed. A fire broke out in front of a municipal administration building in Nantes, western France.
French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne called the rallies unacceptable.
Far-left coalition leader and former presidential candidate Jean Luc Melenchon pledged to continue the campaign to roll back pension reforms.
The changes, which raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, went into effect on April 14. France’s Constitutional Council will decide tomorrow whether or not to put the measures to a referendum.
France’s main unions, which have worked together in a rare alliance, will meet later today to decide on next steps. Bastille Day on July 14 is expected to be the next big day of action, reports RTE.
However, there are divisions. The moderate CFDT union has said it will continue to negotiate with Mr Macron’s government on other employment issues such as wages, working conditions and hardship benefits.
Hardline union CGT has said it has not yet decided whether to participate.
Tomorrow the Constitutional Council will consider the second motion by a group of left-wing senators to put pension reforms to a referendum. However, few expect the Council to approve the motion.
President Macron gave his government 100 days to bring tangible improvements to everyday life. His opponents seem determined to keep the focus on pension reforms, reports RTE.
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