France: Violent protests escalate against Macron

Violent protests have escalated across France against a pension law pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron last month.

On April 15th Macron signed a law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The edict will take effect in September when the first retirees that month will have to wait an additional three months to collect their pensions. Such incremental increases will be made until all retirees are at least 64 by 2030.

Pensions are a sensitive issue to the French, who view them “as the bedrock of the state’s responsibilities and relationship with its citizens”, according to CNN.

But what also infuriated the French and sparked heated protests in March was that Macron forced the law through without a vote in parliament. The president knew that public and official opposition to the legislation made the vote risky — and so, using special constitutional powers, he simply bypassed parliament altogether.

In response, France’s eight largest trade unions called for “historic” protests. French citizens took to the streets in sometimes violent demonstrations.

But the violence reached a new crescendo Monday as large-scale May Day protests across France left 108 police officers injured and hundreds of demonstrators detained. In Paris, where an estimated 110,000 people protested, a building caught fire at Place de la Nation and 19 policemen were hurt, one from a molotov cocktail.

For their part, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, and some law enforcement officers were seen kicking and beating protesters with batons.

While the demonstrators eventually dispersed, they have vowed to continue fighting until the reform is rescinded. One group of protesters is hoping to sabotage the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris, by volunteering to help and then not showing up for work.

"The page is not going to be turned as long as there is no withdrawal of this pension reform. The determination to win is intact," said trade union CGT head Sophie Binet, according to the AFP.

The last time France saw widespread protests involving clashes with police was one year ago following the presidential election. Macron received 58.5% of the vote while just 41.5% went to Marine Le Pen, whom the mainstream media declared “far-right” and a Russian agent.

But many Le Pen supporters said the election was rigged and that most voted against Macron, whose response to COVID-19 included masking children and mandating vaccine passports. Many Macron opponents also accused the president of being a puppet of the World Economic Forum, of which Macron is a member.

The race was expected to be close, even according to corporate media, but ended with Macron winning by a significant 17-point lead. 

French protestors took to the streets of Lyon, Paris, Rennes and Nattes. French police assaulted the demonstrators with tear gas and clashes, with some law enforcement units charging into protesting crowds.

Those concerned that Macron’s strings are pulled by the World Economic Forum were vindicated when two days after the election his administration announced plans to implement a digital ID. As reported by Frontline News, digital IDs are an integral component to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) agenda for 2030, which is seen by many as a global version of China’s social credit system.  

And with the WEF’s support for raising the retirement age, Macron’s opponents may be vindicated still.