In new clashes with protesters against the construction of a dam in southwestern France, some demonstrators today, Saturday, burned two police cars and injured French police officers.
This comes as the French police arrested hundreds of people, during new protests, in France, with opposition to raising the retirement age to new levels, as the office of French President Emmanuel Macron announced in a statement that the visit of Britain’s King Charles III to France had been postponed, due to the mass protests. .
Protests erupted in France the day before yesterday, as opposition to raising the retirement age reached new levels, with protests raging in Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes, and police forces in Paris used tear gas.
Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne said the violence and damage to buildings was unacceptable.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told CNews that about 457 people were arrested, while about 440 members of the security forces were injured.
Darmanan rejected calls from protesters to abandon the pension reform that parliament approved last week in controversial circumstances.
The Interior Ministry said late Thursday that 1.09 million people took part in the protests across the country. CGT put the figure at 3.5 million. About 12,000 policemen have been deployed.
Opponents of the government’s plans also closed railway stations, roads and part of Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.
French trade unions have called for new strikes and protests across the country next Tuesday, coinciding with the announced visit of Britain’s King Charles III.
Strikes and protests have remained mostly peaceful for several weeks, but recent days have seen an escalation of violence during spontaneous demonstrations.
There have been frequent protests against the government’s plans to close the looming gap in the pension fund through reforms.
Last Monday evening, two motions of no confidence in the government failed.
Defending the reforms, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Between polls, immediate concessions, and the country’s public interest, I choose the nation’s public interest.”
