A little young to think about retirement? And yet. A few children took part in the processions which were deployed in various cities of France, this Tuesday, to demonstrate against the pension reform. Accompanied by one or more parents, of course. Little Gavroche in power or simple spectator? Militant act or practical management of toddlers? Each family had their point of view. 20 minutes made a short tour of France to collect the state of mind of this dispute by household.
Chasuble of the CGT union on the back, Charlotte, in Lille, assumes the family commitment alongside her two sons. “It’s a way to pass the militant baton. It is important to pass on the union heritage of the demonstration. I show them that it is possible to demonstrate as a family, that it does not suck, ”she explains, all smiles.
In 2016, already, this civil servant from Pas-de-Calais admits having demonstrated with “the youngest in the belly and the oldest in a stroller”. Maxime, 10 years old, imagines other means of action: “You have to send an email to the president”. More efficient ? Not sure. For the youngest, Valentin, 6 years old, “the demonstration is so beautiful, we sing, we dance”. Some marching bands brighten up the parades. Usually the kids love it.
“He is a little afraid of crowd movements”
In Nantes, union culture is also exhaled. “The CGT is used to demonstrate its rights”. At 6 and a half, Perrine has already demonstrated twice with her dad, against this pension reform. This time, she came, wearing a yellow vest, with her two friends, Albane and Alice.
“I did not hesitate to take them, says Nicholas, 51, the leader of the small troop who does not let go of his hand. We have to make them aware, that they understand that we are fighting so that they do not have to work more. But we mustn’t tire them too much… In 30 minutes, we’ll be back! »
Thomas would have left his son at home. But too complicated to organize: Malone, 6, is also in the Nantes procession, for lack of childcare. “He’s a little afraid of crowd movements, but it’s still good that he sees all that,” says his dad, an administrative officer at the university. The little boy dances to the rhythm of the slogans. If the notion of retirement is still very vague for him, he has in any case understood the concept of the demonstration: “When the president makes a decision, sometimes we accept and sometimes we don’t accept”, he says. he, smiling.
“She had no canteen this afternoon”
In Rennes, Léanne, 8, and her little sister, Maïwenn, also came with their parents in the procession. Before parading, the family discussed the pension reform a lot. “Their school is on strike today. It’s important for us to show them that you can express your displeasure,” adds Julie, the mother. Do they have fears about potential overflows? “We are careful where we stand in the procession so that everything goes well. But we thought about it before coming, it’s true”.
Héléna demonstrates for the third time against the pension reform. This time, she walks alongside her 4-year-old daughter. “She didn’t have a canteen this afternoon but I couldn’t see myself missing the event to pick her up. So I took her, ”explains the mother.
Ditto in Lille for Simon, an employee at SFR, who came with his father, Richard, and his two 5-year-old children, Soline and Ambroise. The two children are enthroned on their shoulders. “The teachers were on strike, so we had to keep them, underlines the dad. But it is also a way of preparing them for the future. “A few years ago, I too was demonstrating with my son,” recalls Richard, a retired teacher who believes that he “never could have worked beyond the age of 62”.
“It’s important for our collective history”
In Paris, we also find the grandmother, the mother, the father… And the grandson? There he is, his name is Leopold, and he is 9 years old. And we are not in the middle of the game of the seven families, but indeed in the middle of the procession. “In fact, we have the retiree, two teachers, and the future worker,” sums up the father. All motivated to defend shared convictions, “those that relate to injustices in particular”, according to Benoît, the father. The young Léopold is not at his first mobilization, “he has been doing it since he was two years old”, explains his mother.
Suddenly, an Indian file of children slips through the crowd. Sérac, Hugo, Aimé and Isaure, all educated in the same school, each came with one of their parents. And Sérac, from the height of his 8 years, already affirms loud and clear that he is there “against retirement at 64 years old”.
Finally, in the streets of Lyon, three generations pound the pavement together. “I think it’s important for our collective history to show our children that we have to take to the streets when we don’t agree with the government’s measures, slips the mother, Gentiane, 41 years old. It is a principle of education. Me, I parade in the street with my parents for 35 years. »
“They are swamped with information all day”
The grandmother, Annie, is on the same wavelength. “He is a role model for children. If my daughter cannot come for the next dates, I will go with my granddaughters”. And the granddaughters, precisely, what do they think? “It’s the first time I’ve come to a demonstration and I didn’t expect there to be so many people,” says Olive, 11.
A little further, Michel, 66, who started working at 16, made the trip with his two grandchildren: “They are overwhelmed with information all day, we wanted to explain to them what it is was by taking them directly to the street. Especially since their granny is concerned and she is very tired. She will not be able to afford to work another two years. »
“I’m proud to be here,” simply says Sasha, 10 and a half, holding up her “Free Grandpa and Grandma” sign. “It’s the first time we’ve come to demonstrate, but it’s important to support the movement and our grandmother,” said Lucas, 12, in turn.
Aline “the grandmother” – who comes from Vercors – of Colette and Romane, 4 and 6 years old, assumes her approach. “Since they were babies, they come to protest with us when their teacher is on strike or it’s holidays like today,” she says. During the confinement, when they were bored, they played at the demonstration by chanting the slogans. It makes all the more sense for me to mobilize against this reform since I lost my husband when he had just turned 60. »